Gorgoneion
by Asuraa
Summary: Growing up on London's streets and having nobody to rely on has led to a different from canon Harry Potter start his first year at Hogwarts. Add an ancient and mysterious pendant, pureblood pricks, a scheming headmaster and a goddess as his mother-figure in the mix and you have a genuine Alternate Universe. Grey, asshole Harry. Neville BWL. Veela-OC (sequel is up)
1. Chapter 1 - On Dumbledore's Radar

**AN: I do not own Harry Potter.**

 **Plot** **: AU -** Thanks to Harry having been "mistakenly" declared a squib at birth, Voldemort goes instead for Neville's life as he seemed to have a greater chance to become his equal. But that didn't change the fact that Harry's parents were still killed by the frenzied Death Eaters' attacks in the aftermath of the Dark Lord's defeat. Growing up on the streets and having nobody to rely on, these things have led to a different from canon Harry Potter start his first year at Hogwarts.

 _Smart, Slightly Cold, Grey Harry. Neville is The Boy Who Lived._

 **Important** **:** although there are mentioned some Marvel comics and characters from the Marvel Universe, this fic is not a crossover with it. These comics are just that, comics that Muggle children enjoyed reading in this fic, just like in our real life as well. I only used them for Harry's character development.

"Hello" – normal talk

' _Hello' -_ thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 1 - On Dumbledore's Radar**

' _There...easy, almost got it...please don't turn around...'_ an eleven year old boy with messy black hair and green eyes was chanting in his mind while he was 'working'.

He was furrowing his brows in concentration, trying to accomplish his task. It was the middle of the summer in London and the buses on the streets were filled with passengers, each one of them tired and feeling slightly weak due to the unusually hot weather...which was a good thing for the boy, considering which was his line of 'work'.

With a final flick of his wrist, the raven-haired boy levitated the pouch from a fat middle-aged man's pants' back pocket into his own outstretched right hand. Mentally patting himself on the back for his accomplishment, the boy didn't dare to stay in the bus for a moment longer than necessary; at the first stop he jumped out of it. Then, with practiced calm, he started distancing himself from the bus stop with an expression of innocence befitting a child of his age...only that he was anything but innocent. Harry Potter – yes, that was the boy's name – despite his age, was mature enough to pass as a grown-up teenager if it weren't for his appearance to betray him.

Ten years ago Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts left a one year old Harry Potter sleeping in front of his relatives' front door, in the middle of the night, at the end of October, with a letter in which he informed Petunia Dursley of her sister's passing away and asked her to raise her nephew as if he were her own son. To say that Vernon and Petunia Dursley were outraged would not be an exaggeration: they did not even want to consider keeping the boy. Therefore, at just a few hours after they had read the letter, they went directly to the closest police station and reported the incident. The next few weeks were quite hectic for the Dursleys as they had to convince the Child Protection Agency that they were simply both unable and unwilling to raise another child. They already had a son, they didn't need another one.

In the end Harry Potter was sent to one of the many orphanages of "Poor Sisters of Nazareth". On the surface everyone thought that said organization was one of the most prestigious and trustworthy organizations in the United Kingdom, but only the children in their care knew the real truth.

 _Throwback to 5 years prior_

" _Hulk is sooo cool! I bet he'll kick Thor's butt in the next edition!" squealed an eight year old boy as he finished reading a magazine with comics._

" _No way, Thor will definitely roast his hide with his mighty thunder!" retorted a six years old boy with messy black hair and green eyes partially hidden behind a pair of round glasses._

 _Around them, another 4 or 5 boys took sides and then they all started to chant against each other:_

" _Thor is the best!"_

" _No, Hulk will smash his arse!"_

 _Their shouts eventually alerted one of the nuns and when she heard what were the shouting about, she immediately went in a state of a religious fanaticism-driven anger:_

" _What is the meaning of this?" she screamed at them._

 _Seeing the angered nun glaring at them, the children gulped audibly. And they had a reason to do so if the beating that followed afterwards was anything to go by. Although the nun was very angry at the children's sin of reading the Devil's work, she was still careful to not leave them with bruises and marks in places easy to spot because the pagans from the Children Protection Agency never understood that many children were acting under Devil's influence. And, as one of the servants of God, she couldn't let them walk on the highway to Hell. It was her duty to set them to climb the Stairway to Heaven. (1)_

 _Back in the present_

As Harry walked through the crowded streets of London, he fell into one of his habits of reminiscing of the past.

Three years have passed since Harry ran away from the orphanage. Ever since the beating he received when he was 6, he has been dreaming of living on his own with no-one to control his life. And that dream of his has been constantly fuelled by the comics the older children managed to smuggle into the orphanage. Comics like "Runaways" and "X-men" were the ones that had the greatest impact on his personality.

Although the life in the orphanage was very unpleasant and despite the fact that even as just a 6 year old child he had had a mature mind, Harry never managed to muster the courage to actually run away. Or probably it was exactly because he thought like a grown-up that he didn't dare to break free.

However, all of his worries and hesitation vanished one day when he produced his first bout of accidental magic: it was Harry's 8th birthday and one of his friends at that time, gifted him a magazine with one of the comics he loved the most. Although they had tried to be stealthy, the nun still discovered their actions eventually, fact that led to another beating.

Blinded by her 'righteous' rage, instead of using the leathery part of the belt to beat the children, the nun hit Daniel – that was the poor boy's name – with the buckle, breaking his head. Due to his state of fear, Harry's magic broke free of its shackles and he banished the nun to the other side of the room where she collapsed unconscious.

At first, Harry was filled with awe and excitement...all those comics he had read along the years had many children and teenagers with superpowers! Was he actually a mutant as well? Did he awaken the power of telekinesis, like Jean Grey from "X-men" did?

After a few moments of relishing in the happiness of finding out that he might have superhuman abilities, the realization of the consequences of his deeds dawned on him: when the other nuns learned of what had just transpired, he knew he would be in for a royal beating. Heck, he didn't put it past them to crucify him or torture him in some way in order to exorcise the devil that they believed that it was possessing him.

Although the nuns weren't actually _**that**_ cruel like Harry believed them to be and despite that not all of them were finding a pleasure in beating the children from orphanage, in his panicked state of mind, Harry's fear of them intensified.

To this day, Harry could still not remember clearly the events that followed his first bout of accidental magic. All he knew was that he had run away...and that he had run just like a naive child: with no pocket money, no food reserves, no additional changes of clothes, nothing. But what could anyone ask of him? He had been just an 8 year old child. Although his mind was more mature than his peers', in the end he had been too young to have had accumulated any worthwhile life experience.

The following months were very hard on young Harry. He realized then that there was a good reason behind the orphanage's rule of not leaving the yard – the streets were not friendly with anyone, much less homeless people. And although on the surface London was believed to be one of the safest capitals in Europe, that was a bit far from truth. Especially in the Eastern London and the centre of the city, all sort of gangs were terrorizing the locals during night-time.

Maybe it was his firm belief that he had somehow became a mutant and acquired superhuman abilities, or maybe it was the fact that he was an outstanding genius Wizard from birth, that was not certain, but the thing is that his magic was highly responsive to his will. Although Harry didn't know that he was a Wizard and thought that the wandless Banishing Charm that he had used against the nun was just the power of telekinesis, in only three weeks, he got a good grasp on the Levitation Charm. Thanks to that, the number of beatings he received for getting caught stealing food has gradually decreased to the point where nowadays he was not getting caught at all.

And today Harry could say with no small amount of pride that in spite of not having a home of his own and no parents to take care of him and despite being just an eleven year old child, he had everything he needed in order to survive. He was doing questionable things for that, but he wasn't bothered by it. It wasn't like he was stealing because he liked to...alright, alright, after he started to become good at it, he also started to like it, but at least he was never stealing from the poor people; that had to count for something, right?

At any rate, he needed to eat, to buy the minimum necessary of clothes and pay up the rent at the motel he was living in. To do those things he needed money – especially for the rent. The owner of the shady and shabby motel Harry lived in was such a money grubber that he demanded from him to play the double amount of money for the rent if he wanted to live there. But Harry didn't hold it against him; after all, the owner was risking having trouble with the police by renting a room to runaway children, especially when they were as young as Harry (he was just 10 at the time when he first came there).

All in all, life was relatively good for Harry. Obviously, he was not living in luxury because that would have attracted unwanted attention, but he was still living decently. Harry wanted to keep a low profile because he was afraid of being discovered not only for being a runaway but also for his "mutant" powers. People believed that Marvel's comics were all just fiction for children, but he knew better than to dismiss them like that. After all, he thought he was the living proof that superhuman powers existed! What if there also were organizations that were hunting down or were forcefully recruiting individuals like him? In his mind there was also the fear of getting caught and being experimented on by creepy scientists.

While Harry was thinking like that, the feeling of being watched washed over him. He turned his head abruptly but there was nobody behind him. Correct that: the street was just as full as it always was during days, but he couldn't see anyone suspicious...no policemen and no gangsters.

Despite that, Harry didn't lower his wariness. During the three years he had roamed through the streets, Harry had developed something akin to a 6th sense. Every time he was followed or when someone nearby had ill intentions towards him, he got the feeling he was having at this moment. Moreover, ever since he had obtained a certain amulet all of his senses and his perception had increased dramatically.

As he picked up the pace, Harry affectionately caressed the round, palm-sized artefact that was hanging from a silver chain from his neck, under the green short-sleeved shirt he was wearing. He didn't know why but from the very first moment he had seen this stone relic, he felt an inexplicable attraction to it, like it was calling for him.

But that wasn't the time to let his thoughts run astray. He was too worried about the one following him. Harry picked up the pace once more, to the point that he was almost running now. Then, he rushed through the crowds, trying to blend in with the mass of people and deceive his pursuer.

Despite his efforts, it was to no avail. He was still feeling the gaze of his pursuer locked on him. What should he do? Running around could only take him so far; it was clear to him that the one on his tail was not an amateur. He feared that the special forces of the government finally got wind of him. What was he going to do?

The blood started to rush madly to his face and adrenaline began to bubble through his veins...he had lived well enough on his own, it was the best time of his life – especially ever since he got a good grip over his supernatural abilities. There was no way he was going to let himself get caught and used as a dog of the government or worse, as some sort of rat lab!

A plan was being formed in his mind. He was not going to shrink from anything. Harry was no stranger to violence. Gangs were having violent conflicts for supremacy every now and then and he witnessed almost on a daily basis people getting into altercations. He had even saw once an Asian old lady being stabbed to death by a thief. He himself had had at some points along the years to defend himself from thieves by using his fists – fists empowered by his so-called telekinesis, of course.

Therefore Harry decided that if it came to it, he would even beat his pursuer half-to-death if that allowed him to escape. He would then have to leave London – fact that saddened him as he had grown to love the city, despite its many hidden dangers – and he would have to lay even lower for a few months, until they lost his trail. Yes, he had read in comics that the guys that were hunting the mutants were very persistent and that most of the time they had the ability to take down their targets despite their lack of superpowers.

Armed with that resolve, Harry broke into a sprint, unmindful of the looks he was getting from the people be was bumping in. He was small and nimble and because of that Harry hoped that he managed to run at a faster pace than his pursuer since he supposed that the ones that were following him not only were they fully grown-up men – which would actually hinder them if they had to run through a crowd – but they also had to remain stealthy as to not attract the civilians' attention.

As he ran towards East, Harry had one destination in mind: the derelict buildings from the old industrial area, especially the abandoned warehouses. It was a place normally avoided by people, but it was perfect for what Harry had in mind: not only the police rarely patrolled the area, but last time he went there, there also were large piles of debris laying around – things that would become potentially lethal weapons in Harry's hands.

Harry kept running for 30 more minutes until he arrived at the desired destination. By the time he arrived, he was dead-tired and soaked in sweat. He was breathing heavily and he felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest at how fast and hard it was beating. Harry was used to running since he pretty much did it everyday, but running at full speed for half an hour was very hard on him nonetheless.

He sat on large concrete brick, calmed his breathing and rested. There was no point in running or panicking at the moment. He just had to wait for his pursuers to show his face. Then it will all come to the result of their confrontation: if he managed to render his enemies unconscious, then he would have a chance to disappear before the agents sent to hunt him informed their superiors of their failure. If he was captured...then that was it. End of the line.

Harry clenched his hands into fists and his entire body trembled involuntarily for a second. It was the first time he had gotten himself into such a dangerous situation. Sure, he had run before from the police or various people whose belongings he had stolen, but they weren't after him with the intention to kill him.

This time was different.

Harry brought out of his shirt his treasured amulet and gazed at it fervently. Said amulet had a rough circular form and it was not bigger than his palm. It was made out of stone and it gave off the feeling of being ancient. Moreover, it had depicted on it a rather frightening head of a woman: the face of the woman was scrunched into a hate-filled expression and instead of hair, she had a large number of snakes. It was a Gorgon, the head of Medusa. The Gorgon head was said in Greek Mythology to have been used as a symbol of both Athena and Zeus and people in ancient times had a very respectful attitude towards it.

As Harry looked at the Gorgoneion in his hands, a peculiar feeling washed over him and in the next moments he spoke almost without even thinking:

"Please help me. If you do, I promise to do any one thing you ask of me in the future!"

When he finished speaking these words, Harry immediately felt stupid for actually speaking to a an object. But then, to his fright, he received an answer!

Harry watched in morbid fascination how the Gorgon's eyes flashed a blood red colour, and then, a powerful energy flowed into his body and flooded his entire being. It was indescribable. All his tiredness at having run so much vanished and he felt full of energy.

In that moment, a rather eye-catching silhouette appeared in front of the warehouse seemingly out of thin air. It was a tall, thin and very old man, judging by his silver hair and beard, which were both so long that they reached his waist. He was wearing long, extravagant purple robes that swept the ground and high-heeled, buckled boots. He had blue eyes and the half-moon spectacles from his long nose did nothing to hide their vibrant colour.

For a brief moment Harry was stunned speechless. He has been expecting to see a young, athletic man, dressed in a black suit and wearing shades, not some old fart dressed as if he was a 90 years old homosexual cosplaying Merlin.

But Harry shook his head and focused. There was no way that man was an ordinary man. Not only that he seemed to have appeared out of thin air, but also, to have kept following him at the pace he had been running despite his old age, these were glaring signs that the man in front of him was not ordinary. He probably dressed that way to make his targets lower their guard in front of him and capture them more easily.

 _'Pfft, as if that those petty tricks would work on me!'_ the boy thought condescendingly before, with a wave of his right hand, 3 football-sized pieces of debris came floating in front of him. There was no need for him to hide his abilities anymore.

* * *

 **Albus Dumbledore POV**

He had been observing the boy's activities for the past week. What? With the current peace the United Kingdom was experiencing and with Hogwarts' students being away on their summer holiday, there wasn't much for him to do. And at his age it wasn't like there were too many things he could do to spend his free time, except for going for a walk, read a book or listen to music. However, he had been doing these things since forever. Watching young Mr. Potter's daily activities was like a fresh breath of air. It was refreshing observing such an interesting boy.

It all started two weeks before when in the students' register at Hogwarts, his name appeared. A name which should have normally not been there. Before James and Lily Potter's deaths, their son had been declared as being a squib. It was a reason of great disappointment and then pity for the young married couple, but they nonetheless decided to raise their child by showering him in their love, even more than normally, as to not let him ever feel as if he was being rejected by them for him not being a Wizard as well.

However, at just one year after Harry Potter's birth, the prophecy about the Dark Lord having an equal was proven to be true. Considering how the prophecy sounded, there were two boys that had the potential to become Voldemort's equal. But with Harry Potter being declared a squib, the Dark Lord went for the logical remaining option, the Longbottoms' son. Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on how you look at the situation – only Augusta Longbottom had been at home, taking care of little Neville when the Dark Lord came since Frank and Alice were away on a patrol mission for the Order of the Phoenix.

Nobody knew exactly what happened during that fateful night of Halloween at the Longbottom Manor. But the results have certainly shaken the entire Great Britain. Voldemort vanished while the baby – who got the moniker "The Boy Who Lived" – survived with only a lightning bolt-shaped scar in the middle of his forehead.

The aftermath of the events was full of celebrations and happiness. Everyone wanted to congratulate Frank and Alice Longbottom for their son, but very few of them cared enough to offer their condolences for Augusta Longbottom's passing away.

However, while the British Wizarding folk was celebrating, the followers of the recently vanquished Dark Lord were in a frenzy. As an act of retribution, the Death Eaters launched a series of attacks on every family that had played an important part in the war. Unfortunately the Potters have also been amongst the ones murdered with baby Harry Potter escaping alive only thanks to his mother who had thrown a portkey on him, effectively 'teleporting' him from the harm's way.

After the situation had calmed down, Albus Dumbledore sent Harry Potter to his relatives. It was the best and most sensible choice for him to make since the boy was a squib. That way, Harry wouldn't have felt inferior compared to other boys of his age and he would have also not known of his parents' tragic death. What little Harry didn't know couldn't hurt him - at least that was the Headmaster's opinion. But who could have expected that the squib's name would appear on Hogwarts's register as one of the people to whom they had to send an invitation letter?

In a feat of boredom mixed with curiosity, when they deduced that although the letter had arrived at its destination, it had not been taken seriously – they didn't get a reply – Dumbledore decided to go speak with the boy himself instead of letting his deputy handle the things as usual.

Whatever has Dumbledore expected Harry to be, it was definitely not a would-be gangster that **_actively_** made use of magic and controlled it as if it were one of his limbs in order to pickpocket from strangers. Putting aside the matter concerning the illegality of the boy's deeds, the astonishing amount of control Harry held over his magic was mind-boggling. He had only seen one person displaying the same capabilities before – _Tom Riddle._

At that revelation, Dumbledore decided right away to put a stop to the boy's acts and straighten his behaviour by making him willingly or not - it was not like he was actually going to give him a choice - study at Hogwarts under his watchful gaze. He was definitely not going to make the same mistake twice. He wouldn't let another Voldemort rise because of his negligence like he had done in the past.

After running after the boy for quite a while – he had never expected the boy to feel his presence from the very moment he arrived at 100 feet away from him – Dumbledore was surprised again by Harry's resourcefulness: not only that he had tried to make him lose his tracks by blending in with the crowds – and it would have worked on any Muggle but all the experienced Wizard had a Tracking Charm in their arsenal of spells – the boy had also made sure for their confrontation to take place in a favourable location for him, where he could make full use of the Levitation and Banishing Charms that he had unknowingly mastered.

Harry Potter was intelligent. Dangerously so.

* * *

 **Back to original POV**

Just as Dumbledore was about to offer Harry a gentle smile and introduce himself with kind words, the boy's actions stupefied him: with a wave of his right hand, football-sized pieces of concrete and bricks began to float in front of him, serving as both shields and projectiles...Dumbledore realized then that Harry considered him an enemy.

' _But why does he? It's not like I harmed him yet, I have only followed him around...for an entire week...but he only knows about the last hour or so...'_

If Harry had heard Dumbledore's process of thinking he would have probably face-palmed himself right there and right then. Even if he didn't hear it, Harry would realise in the following weeks anyway, just how badly Wizards lacked common sense.

"I'm not here to harm you, my boy." said Dumbledore rather hurriedly, before the tension between them evolved into outright hostilities. He did not want to harm the boy.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?" Harry asked back through gnashed teeth. From his point of view the old man in front of his eyes was trying to fool him by speaking kindly in order to capture him more easily. He didn't trust his words because a man with honest intentions wouldn't have pursued him through half the city like an assassin. Therefore, he didn't lower his vigilance in the least.

A frown marred Dumbledore's face at Harry's behaviour but he would let it slide this time. With the boy's upbringing and his current state of mind, it was not like anyone could ask anything from him.

Dumbledore was about to say something but, apparently, not having replied immediately made the boy even more distrustful of him. At that moment, two large slabs of concrete came at him at a very high speed and rotating with a great velocity. Instead of getting angry, the old wizard was actually studying Harry's skill with a poorly masked expression of amazement on his face. The degree of control over the Levitation Charm that the boy in front of him was displaying was very hard to achieve even by a full fledged wizard with a wand, let alone a child and wandless! Even Tom Riddle had not shown such a skill when he was a child!

Dumbledore was sure Voldemort had not been permanently defeated and that, one day, he will return. Yes, when that time comes, there will be the Child of the Prophecy, Neville Longbottom to save the day... But what if the Boy-Who-Lived failed? After all, the prophecy stated that the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal...and that means that the final outcome could go either way.

Therefore, the question that remained was: what if the Longbottom boy failed in his task? What if Voldemort won? What would be left of Great Britain in the aftermath of his victory? Dumbledore did not want to even imagine that! And as he watched young Harry's astounding skills (for his age), an idea bloomed into the old man's head...

The fact that Harry was wildly throwing large chunks of debris at Dumbledore seemed like it had no effect on the old and experienced wizard who never even dodged any of the projectiles aimed at him, choosing instead to simply Vanish them with barely noticeable flicks of his wand.

When Harry saw how the old man in front of him was swatting away his attacks as if they were nothing, panic engulfed him and he began to lose control over his magic, finding it harder and harder to use his 'telekinesis' as the time went by. In his paranoia-affected mind there was only one thought:

' _They have sent a mutant after me. Everything I throw at him is useless, what should I do?!'_

While Harry was getting desperate, unaware of his turmoil, Dumbledore continued to ponder on the idea that had just appeared into his mind: the skill in magic that Harry was displaying was something that would make even 4th year students at Hogwarts feel pressured. Such a genius should not be wasted. What if he shaped the boy to be the contingency plan for the situation where Neville Longbottom didn't manage to fulfil his destiny?

Glancing at the boy in front of him, Dumbledore could not help but scoff at the idea of Harry having been born without magic. It was a crazy thing to even imagine that such an once-in-centuries-seen-genius could have been a squib at birth! Unless...

' _Those cunning Potters!'_ Dumbledore mentally exclaimed in both surprise and amazement _'They had actually purposely declared their child a squib as to make people pay as less attention as possible to them. It was almost as if they had known about Sybill's prophecy before it has even been made! And since Voldemort had heard as well that young Harry was a squib, he naturally went instead for the Longbottom family's son.'_

After a few good minutes of continuously hurling debris at Dumbledore, Harry finally lost all his energy and collapsed on his fours on the ground with a thud.

Sighing in relief that he didn't have to forcefully restrain Harry or worse, even hurt him in order to be able to talk to him, Dumbledore began to approach him at a moderate pace as there was no reason to needlessly increase the boy's anxiety – if that was even possible.

Seeing the old man steadily approaching him, Harry sighed in frustration and sorrow. In a few moments he will be killed, or worse, become something akin to a slave, one of those 'lab-rats' on whom scientists were doing experiments on, like he had often seen in comics – yes, Harry envisioned such a life as being worse than death.

Harry's thoughts were becoming darker and more sombre the closer Dumbledore got to him. But when the tension almost made Harry reach the breaking point, from the pendant he was still tightly clutching in his right hand, a warm sensation emerged and he felt like he had just been engulfed into the comfortable and loving embrace of a woman. Harry didn't remember ever being held like that, but if he ever imagined how a mother's embrace felt, then the feeling he was experiencing in that moment was the closest thing to it that he would ever get to feel.

Gradually, Harry's heart calmed down and the adrenaline washed out of his system. The magical exhaustion and the physical tiredness resulted from his previous actions finally kicked in and Harry fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **AN:** As you have seen, those Marvel references only served to Harry getting acquainted with the idea of him possessing extraordinary abilities. They also shaped him into becoming a tad distrustful and paranoid, but he will learn the truth in the following chapter and he'll start attending Hogwarts like any other first year student.

(1) "Highway to Hell" and "Stairway to Heaven" - couldn't help myself, lol

 _(I'm not an English native and I don't have a beta either. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made)_


	2. Chapter 2 - Coerced

**AN:** This version of Harry is a punk, a street rat and an asshole. Since people don't change overnight, you'll have to put up with his behaviour for quite a while. I'm warning you so you won't expect the usual nice and ideal Harry Potter you see in every fic out there.

"Hello" – normal talk

' _Hello' –_ thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - Coerced**

"Where am I?" Harry asked himself with a groan as he tried to lift himself in a sitting position.

He was exhausted. He didn't remember ever feeling as tired as he was in that moment. And he also didn't remember ever having had such a deep sleep as he had just had...that was because this was the first time Harry experienced magical exhaustion. Fortunately, it wasn't a severe case of it. In a few days, with enough rest and nutritional food, he'll be as good as new.

After asking himself that question, Harry glanced around himself, trying to understand his situation. First, he was not dead, that much was obvious. Second, it didn't look like he was imprisoned – there were no chains or ropes tying him down and there was nothing obstructing him from escaping through the large windows of the infirmary should the need arise.

Although he was quite paranoid for his age, even he had to admit that so far the old man that had supposedly came after him in order to capture him, had yet to do him any harm. He remembered that, in fact, the old man hadn't attacked him at all despite him trying to injure him with the use of his 'telekinesis'.

' _What if he's actually one of the good guys? Like professor Xavier and his X-men?'_ Harry thought with a hint of excitement.

After all, if the old man didn't harm him in any way and if he didn't take any kind of action against him while he was unconscious, what should be there for him to be afraid of? However, Harry knew that regardless of the old man's reasons, he still had to remain cautious.

While Harry was pondering on all these things, Dumbledore received madam Pomfrey's notice that the boy has woken up. He had asked her to tell him directly because he understood that Harry was more than a little suspicious about everything. It was better if he didn't have to deal with too many new faces for the moment.

"I see you're up. It looks like a good night of sleep did a great deal in calming you." Dumbledore said with a hint of amusement in his voice when he arrived at the infirmary.

Although he tensed at the old wizard's arrival, Harry still had the decency to look to the side with a hint of shame. Indeed, now that Harry thought about it better, in his panicked state, he had not even given the old man a chance to introduce himself, immediately proceeding to hurl slabs of concrete at him.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore and I'm the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Dumbledore began introducing himself.

"Witchcraft and Wizardry?" Harry asked with a wry smile. "Sure! And I'm Santa Claus, while my mother is Queen Elisabeth II."

Dumbledore frowned slightly at the boy's sarcasm but decided to not say anything for the moment, opting instead for a different approach.

"Then what do you call the things you've done if they are not magic?"

"It's simple." Harry replied. "I'm a mutant. One of the few people in this world whose genes have evolved and granted them superhuman abilities. I have yet to meet anyone like me – aside from you – but I know every mutant has a different power. I have the power of telekinesis. And you have the power to make things disappear. So why don't we cut the crap, mister?" Harry finished with a hint of hostility in his voice.

"First of all, mind you language Mr. Potter. It is unbecoming of someone of your age to speak like that." Dumbledore said sternly.

"Secondly" the old wizard continued "I think you have read too many Muggle comics for your own good."

Seeing the boy wanting to protest, Dumbledore merely picked up his wand and with a flick of his wand, he soundlessly conjured a 2 feet tall floating blue flame. With another flick of his wand, the flame instantly froze, transforming into ice. He then transfigured the ice in to a flock of canaries, which then were transfigured as well into snowflakes...snowflakes which did not melt upon touching the floor or the beds.

During this demonstration, Harry watched Dumbledore with his mouth wide-open.

"Can one of the 'mutants' you talk about do these things?" Dumbledore asked while he continued to demonstrate his skill in magic: a broomstick began to clean up the floor by itself, objects started to float around the infirmary room and as the icing on a cake, Dumbledore transfigured one of the beds into a large and very beautiful peacock. After finishing his demonstration, in less than five seconds, the room regained its former appearance as if nothing had happened there.

Seeing the boy having no words at his display of magic, Dumbledore smiled at him knowingly while taking the chance to further solidify his argument

"Mutants are works of fiction – at least the ones you are talking about. However, people with supernatural powers do exist. What you have seen me doing moments before, can be accomplished by any wizard and witch that puts in enough time and effort. Magic exists and it silently influences our life, regardless of our choice of admitting it or not. Magic is - ...well, I'd better not start giving you a lecture about magic right now." said Dumbledore chuckling softly at himself.

"People that have the ability to use magic are called wizards and witches. Wizards have been existing along with ordinary humans since forever. But, ever since the Witches Hunts during Middle Ages, the wizarding population across the world decided to 'disappear'. As time went by, for the non-magical folk, wizards became nothing but a myth. However, magical people have organized themselves in secret communities and continued to live in relative peace without interfering in the non-magical world's affairs. Nowadays every country has a Ministry of Magic whose purpose is to keep the laws and to insure that the magical world remains a secret for the non-magical people."

"The United Kingdom has a Ministry of Magic as well and, moreover, there is also an institution of magical education, Hogwarts, which I dare say is one of the finest in the world."

Meanwhile, Harry didn't say a word, listening seemingly enraptured by Dumbledore's explanation, making the old wizards believe that he was stunned speechless by the revelations. However, that was actually quite far from truth: Harry was already fully aware of the existence of supernatural abilities since he, himself, had been actively using them for years. Besides that, Dumbledore's impressive display of magic expanded Harry's horizons even more...Hence, when Harry considered everything again, they idea of wizards living hidden away for centuries did not seem that far-fetched.

No, Harry was silent because he was thinking where was this new development leaving him. Was he going to be forced to live in secret like he rest of the wizards too? Will he be forced to attend this Hogwarts school?

Meanwhile Dumbledore took a small pause as well, thinking about how to manipulate...no, that's a bit too harsh of a word, he was thinking of how to proceed in order for Harry to accept his guidance – given the boy's rebellious nature, Dumbledore suspected that if he forced him to attend Hogwarts, he would cause an endless stream of problems; but he couldn't let this at Harry's free choice either since the boy was too distrustful of him. That's why he decided to approach him in a more "delicate" manner, by shifting the boy's focus to the benefits he'd receive by choosing to attend Hogwarts.

"Now there are two options in front of you: you can either choose to attend Hogwarts or not. It's up to you." - Dumbledore said and Harry's face almost broke into a smile – "However...there are a number of consequences that will follow each one of your choices." finished the old wizard, making the happy expression on Harry's face disappear in an almost comical fashion.

"If you were to refuse our offer, in order to keep the Status of Secrecy, the Ministry of Magic would be obligated to wipe off your memories regarding the wizarding world, including your own abilities."

"But, if you were to accept attending Hogwarts, you'd be given a free scholarship and a legal guardian. You would be instructed and trained to use your magic and you'll receive guidance regarding your future career and personal development. You'll also get the chance to discover more about your family, your heritage..."

If the first series of consequences made Harry scowl, the second one almost made him spit the 'old fart' in the face. Harry understood that Dumbledore's words could have been simplified like this: _'If you play like I say, we'll become best friends. If you don't, then, may God be with you, because you'll sure as hell need it.'_

Moreover, Dumbledore pushing his 'heritage' in front of his eyes, made Harry even more sure that the old man had some sort of hidden agenda – he was way too accommodating to get him to attend Hogwarts, for Harry to not get suspicious. That was because mentioning family to an orphaned young teenager was like a killing move that would make 9 out 10 individuals listen to him as if he were some sort of prophet.

Most teenagers are angsty and the orphaned ones are even more. At least that was the idea Dumbledore went by when he threw 'the carrot'. What Dumbledore didn't know was that Harry was not like most teenagers. There was no place in Harry's life for sentimentalism or for playing the victim of the unfairness of the world after becoming a runaway. In order to survive another day Harry had had to be pragmatic and rational because there would be no-one to spoil him and give him anything. Everything he needed, he had to procure it with his own two hands. Victimising himself would not help him in the least. Sure, he had thought many times about his parents and how life would have been had he had parents like ordinary children; like any other child he had also once wished to meet his parents and to be showered in their love. But that was not meant to be. Life moved forward and he had to move along with it.

Harry understood a long time ago that life was not always fair: some people would have more than they needed while others would lose everything. People were not equal from the very moment they were born. That was the way life was and nothing could change that. His parents were dead and now there was nothing he could do about it. Thus, learning more about his parents was not worth it if it was at the exchange of his freedom. And because of that Harry was not going to fall for Dumbledore's bait. There was no way the old man would give him that information without requesting something else in exchange.

In the end though, Harry didn't really have a choice. He didn't even want to think about how would his life become like if he were to be deprived of what he had thought until then as being 'mutant powers'. Harry was getting angry just at the thought of being ordinary and powerless again, like years ago. And this kind of blackmailing was the worst type there is: forcing someone to do your biding while pretending to leave it at their choice...

After Dumbledore mentioned Harry's parents, he expected the boy to at least show some signs of excitement if not to immediately accept the conditions whole-heartedly. What met his eyes though, was exactly the opposite: the boy's face looked like he was doing everything in his power to not start swearing at him. Baffled and curious about what made Harry rage like that, Dumbledore sent a soft Legilimency probe, trying to see his surface thoughts.

' _Erasing the knowledge about my powers, my magic? Making me become powerless, ordinary and weak again? Don't fuck around with me! ...This geezer thinks he's so smart trying to manipulate me... He fucking makes me want to snap his neck-'_

...that was all Dumbledore managed to "hear" from Harry's thoughts before a very powerful pulse of magic impacted his entire frame, propelling him together with the stool he was seated on at 10 feet away from Harry's bed.

Startled by the sudden noise, Madam Pomfrey came in hurriedly, only to see Dumbledore sprawled on the floor barely conscious and moaning in pain and the boy, Harry, on his knees on the bed, tightly clutching at his chest with both of his hands.

Meanwhile Harry was scared, confused and amazed at the same time. For a moment there, he felt someone's consciousness enter his mind, but then the Gorgoneion hanging from his neck heated up to an almost painful temperature, making him nearly miss the fact that the intruder has been expelled from his mind.

' _Was that telepathy?'_ Harry asked himself terrified.

He had never expected magic to be capable of doing even that! He was terrified especially because he realized the real capabilities of such a dangerous ability. If magic was capable of doing at least a tenth of what Professor Xavier from X-men could do with his telepathic powers, then what kind of concept was that?! It was one thing to see that in comics and a whole different thing to see it in real life. Imagine, to be able to see one's thoughts, to manipulate his memories, to erase his personality and to even bend his will! A telepath could even put someone in a state worse than death! The prospects of such an ability truly were terrifying.

As Harry was thinking about these things, he was tightly clutching the stone amulet hanging from his neck. He understood that the mysterious artefact had saved his hide once again and he couldn't help, nor did he try to fight off the feeling of attachment that surfaced at that moment. As if it had sensed Harry's own feelings, the Gorgoneion sent a soft pulse of magic seemingly (in Harry's biased point of view) trying to let him know that it was aware of them.

It was five minutes later when Dumbledore managed to regain his composure after the mental backslash he had suffered. He glanced warily at the boy in front of him, making him tense up. But unlike what Harry expected of him, Dumbledore had no intention of attacking him. Instead, the old wizard was studying him as if Harry was some sort of rare creature, sporting a scheming and calculative look in his eyes.

' _Natural Occlumens?'_ Dumbledore asked himself. _'No, it can't be'_ the old man continued his process of thought as remembered that innate Occlumency barriers were nothing but a myth.

' _To my knowledge there has never been registered such a thing...'_

And Dumbledore was right. Never before had ever existed a witch or a wizard with innate Occlumency barriers. Not even famous wizards such as Morgan le Fay, Merlin, Salazar Slytherin or even Herpo the Foul and Andros the Invincible had boasted something like this. (1)

But how could Dumbledore possibly know that the seemingly old and unremarkable stone pendant that Harry was wearing at his neck was the culprit behind his violent expelling from the boy's mind?

Not finding a plausible explanation for the incident, Dumbledore focused his attention to the glimpse he had managed to take into the boy's mind... _'Making me become powerless, ordinary and weak again? Don't fuck around with me!' ..._ these words made Dumbledore have a feeling of deja vu once again.

Tom Marvolo Riddle and Harry James Potter. Both of them orphaned...they both grew up at an orphanage. Both had a frightening degree of control over their magic even before acquiring a wand – and Harry was even more outstanding than Tom. They were both very intelligent and resourceful and none of them had normal moral standards and values: one had terrorized the ones that had tried to bully him and had stolen their most prized possessions afterwards, while the other one has been living for years by using his magic to steal from others. Both Tom and Harry hated the thought of being weak and ordinary. They both wanted to have control over their own lives...

The similarities between the young Tom Riddle and Harry Potter were so glaringly obvious that Dumbledore would have had to be an utter fool to not notice them. And the thought of a second, even more talented Voldemort rising to power while not even the first one has been completely killed yet, was horrifying. In that moment Dumbledore vowed that he would do his utmost to guide Harry to the Light side. He would not allow himself to fail for a third time: his first failure had been Grindelwald and the second, Tom Riddle. Both his best friend and his most talented student had become Dark Lords in the end. This time Dumbledore would make sure Harry will follow his footsteps.

Dumbledore was considered by the wizarding world as one of the greatest wizards since Merlin and the best student Hogwarts has ever had after Merlin's graduation almost 1000 years ago. (2)

But even Dumbledore's talent with magic paled in comparison with Harry's when he was his age. Therefore, if he managed to groom Harry into becoming his successor and step in as the leader of the light against the Dark Wizards and Witches, Dumbledore could go to his eternal rest with his heart at peace. In that moment Dumbledore decided that that was going to be his purpose for the rest of his life. That was his resolve.

After a few good minutes of silence and tension, Dumbledore threw a meaningful glance at Harry before leaving without uttering even a word. And although the old wizard didn't say it, Harry understood that he no longer had the chance to choose. In that moment it has already been decided that he was going to attend Hogwarts.

 _Half an hour later_

After Dumbledore left, a plump and gentle looking old nurse came to Harry and started waving her wand around him, doing some a final check up to make sure there was nothing wrong with him.

Moments later, a tall and rather severe-looking woman entered the infirmary. She had a very stern face and the square glasses she was wearing did nothing to make modify that impression. She was dressed in long, emerald robes, her black hair was drawn into a tight bun and on top of her head she was wearing a pointed black hat cocked to one side. If Harry had ever imagined how a witch looked like, then Minerva McGonagall fit the picture from his mind perfectly.

Although she was obviously around 70 years old and despite her weird choice of clothes (though not as weird as Dumbledore's), her demeanour and the presence she exuded warned Harry that she was someone he should be wary of crossing.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter! My name is Minerva McGonagall and I'm Deputy Headmistress of this fine institution."

"Good afternoon, ma'am." Harry replied trying to return her greeting politely.

Professor McGonagall nodded curtly and said as she turned her back and headed towards the door:

"Follow me closely, please."

Harry immediately tensed an asked a little more hotly than he had intended:

"Where are you taking me?"

She turned her face towards him and threw a searching glance at him, as if she was trying read him. She had been warned beforehand by Dumbledore that young Mr. Potter had some serious trust issues, but she didn't expect him to actually act like that.

"It's noon, and you have not eaten anything yet. We're heading to the Great Hall where lunch can be served." The professor said before turning her back to him again and said:

"You'd do well to not fall behind me as the castle can be quite dangerous for those not aware of its secrets"

' _Castle?!'_ Harry exclaimed in his mind. _'Just what kind of school is this?'_ But he did not tarry behind and started following her as told.

Although he had expected to see grandiose architecture and beautiful sculptures along the halls as he had always imagined that castles looked like, the sight that met his eyes on the way to the Great Hall left him completely mesmerized. He had never imagined such a strange and crazy-looking place. The castle had a medieval appearance, but what shocked him to the core was that everything in the castle seemed to be alive: the tens of stairs were changing their positions by themselves and he had almost mistaken the first portrait he had seen with a telly: the beautiful lady painted on it was moving and talking! She actually _winked_ at him, leaving him gobsmacked.

Besides the things mentioned above, Harry also had a 'special' encounter, encounter which scared him out of his skin seeing as the one he met was actually a ghost. Moreover, he has also had the misfortune to meet the scariest ghost currently residing in the castle. Said ghost was pearly-white and slightly transparent, it had wide, staring, black lack eyes and a gaunt face. It sported a curly wig and It was dressed in robes covered in silver bloodstains. . .

At the sight of the bloodstained ghost suddenly appearing in front of him Harry freaked out and instinctively activated his magic. Much to Professor McGonagall's shock, with a simple wave of his left hand, Harry hovered a nearby metal armour protectively in front of him, not realizing at first that, for ghosts, physical obstacles meant nothing. However, to Harry's relief, after it stared at him for a few seemingly unending moments, the ghost floated away without even uttering a word, only nodding its head in respect at the witch.

Meanwhile Minerva McGonagall was looking at Harry in awe. She did hear Dumbledore saying that young Harry was an exceedingly gifted individual, but seeing is believing. Such a talented boy was sure go far in life; she became very enthusiastic at the thought of Harry ending up in her house. With such a talented student, Gryffindor would probably have a much higher chance to snatch back the House Cup from the Slytherins. And given who Harry's parents were, she was almost sure that he would end up in Gryffindor like them as well. . . If only she knew. . .

After a few more minutes of walking through the castle, the two finally arrived at the Great Hall. Normally, they should have gotten there in less than five minutes seeing as the Hospital Wing was on the first floor, but Harry would realise later on that professor McGonagall purposely took him on a mini tour of the castle.

Upon seeing the Great Hall, Harry was not disappointed: the charmed ceiling, the way the food appeared on the plates just for the five people that were seated at one of the four tables (it was the beginning of August, most of the teachers were also spending their holyday outside the school) and the event of the three owls bringing Dumbledore the mail, all of these gave Harry a surreal feeling.

As if warned by Dumbledore, the other two teachers seated at the table besides him and his deputy, didn't try to be overly friendly with Harry. The old man understood that unlike other eleven years old children, Harry didn't seem to like basking in a bunch of strangers' attention, regardless of their status as professors. Yes, Dumbledore was very thorough in his actions as he was dead-serious about grooming Harry. And one had to pay attention to every little detail when wanting to shape and to change someone else's personality.

Therefore, after introducing themselves as Pomona Sprout, professor of Herbology and the Head of the House of Hufflepuff and Septima Vector professor of Arthimancy, they started chatting amongst themselves, leaving Harry to his own devices.

When they ended their lunch, everyone but the Deputy Headmistress left to their own business. After Harry looked questionably at her, McGonagall told him:

"Since you'll attend Hogwarts starting with the 1st of September, you have to buy yourself the necessary of books, robes and other consumables. And don't worry about the money, as the Headmaster said, all your needs will be covered by the school."

Then she handed him a tick and heavy envelope, made of yellowish parchment. On it, written in emerald-green ink were the address and his name.

 _Mr. H. Potter_

 _The Great Hall_

 _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Turning the envelope over curiously, Harry noticed a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms with a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H. Upon opening it, Harry read on the first page:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

On the second page, there was a quite long list filled with all kind of oddities.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1\. Three sets of plain work robes(black)

2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK.

...

Faced with that list, Harry stared at it dumbly for a few good seconds after finishing reading...had Harry not seen moving stairs and talking portraits just a little while ago, he would have been tempted to throw the letter aside and scream 'bullshit' into McGonagall's face... the titles of the books looked as if they were made up to prank nerds. Even their authors had extremely weird (that being nicely said) names!

Although he felt an itch on the tip of his tongue to say something nasty, Harry fought against the temptation, managing to croak a question:

"Where...where do we get this...erm...this stuff?"

It wasn't the first time the Transfiguration teacher dealt with Muggleborns or muggle-raised new students, so she more or less knew what was going on through Harry's mind at that moment. The fact that despite his his normal rebelious attitude, Harry did not curse even once, was already a plus in her book. That didn't mean though, that she wasn't amused at him not finding his words upon reading the letter.

"Why, of course, on Diagon Alley!" said McGonagall with her usual voice, but if the slightly curled up corners of her lips were anything to go by, the Deputy Headmistress was in a very good mood.

* * *

 **AN:**

(1) Each one of them are canon, check them out on wiki.

(2) I have researched it on wiki – apparently Harry Potter series' Merlin has attended Hogwarts, as a Slytherin, while Salazar Slytherin himself had yet to leave the school. However, there's a plot-hole seeing as the historical Merlin (the one from the Arthurian legend) has lived with ~ 5 centuries before Hogwarts has been even founded. Could it be that the Merlin from the Arthurian Legend was not the same with the Wizarding World's Merlin? ...I don't know what to say. At any rate, there's a clear inconsistency and it is the canon's fault, not mine.

(I don't have a beta, sorry for any mistakes I may have made)


	3. Chapter 3 - Alice

**AN:**

"Hello" – normal talk

' _Hello' –_ thoughts

 **"Hello"** \- Parseltongue

* * *

 **Chapter 3 - "Alice"**

Three weeks passed since Harry visited Diagon Alley for the first time. The alley was so narrow and crowded that he would have surely gotten lost if he had been on his own. Thankfully, with Minerva McGonagall around, buying everything he needed for school did not take too much time.

However, not everything went smoothly...when Harry finally arrived at Ollivander's shop, he encountered a rather troublesome situation: none of the wands he tried wanted him! Upon seeing the first dozen of wands not giving any good signs, Ollivander has almost wanted to ask if the boy was not actually a non. But Ollivander's doubts about Harry's ability to perform magic vanished when the next wand Harry tried set the counter aflame.

Since none of the wands Harry tried were responsive to him, in the end he chose a wand just byby looking at its appearance. He bought a 13 inches long wand. It was made of ebony and it that had a dragon heartstring as its core. Ollivander was utterly ashamed and said that in the centuries of existence of his shop, never had a client left unsatisfied before...but there was not much he could do without further research and large sums of money.

...

Even now, at three weeks after purchasing his wand, Harry had not managed to get a reaction from it. Despite that, Harry was not too worried. There have been other things on his mind...like the fact that he used to be nearly illiterate!

When Harry had run away from the orphanage, he had been only 8 years old. And after he had become a runaway, Harry had naturally stopped going to school as well. Although he had no trouble with performing basic mathematical operations like adding, subtracting, multiplications and dividing (he was forced to learn them because he need them to manage the money he used to steal), Harry was severely lacking when it came to reading and spelling. As for common knowledge about History, Geography and Science...these were nothing more than vague concepts for him.

However, professor McGonagall has been very helpful to him. Not only did she help him buy everything he needed for school, she had done a lot more than that: she arranged with Tom from Leaky Cauldron to rent Harry a room until school started and she also hired someone to tutor him for the rest of the month.

It had been very hard for Harry to get used to studying for the first few days but after these three weeks, he got the hang of it and, to his tutor's pleasant surprise, Harry proved to be a very fast learner.

But during one of his sessions of studying Harry accidentally came upon the truth behind his fast learning and his ability to study for even 10 hours straight without feeling tired at all. Normally, anyone would start to feel tired after about 3 hours of serious studying, let alone 10! And even if they would not get tired, they would surely get bored...especially if they were just 11 years old.

The secret behind this feat was in fact the Gorgoneion he wore hanging from his neck! How did Harry come to this conclusion?

It was the middle of August and it goes without saying that it was boiling outside. After a few hours of study Harry decided to take a small break and indulge himself with a cold shower...but after undressing just as he took off the stone pendant from his neck to get into the shower, a feeling of nausea flooded his senses and he barely managed to lay on the cold stone floor without losing his consciousness.

The dizziness subsided after a few moments, only for a terrible headache to appear in its stead. It was so painful that even being punched in the head with a pair of knuckledusters didn't hurt that much (and yes, he had experienced something like this during the years when he roamed through London's streets).

Out of instinct, Harry touched the Gorgoneion laying on the floor and, to his relief, a calming energy spread through his body, giving off the feeling of a soothing caressing.

Not sure what to think about said incident, Harry made some experiments afterwards: he broke the contact with the pendant a few more times after a long day of studying – resulting in experiencing the same consequences – and he also took off the pendant in the mornings, before he started doing anything – which in turn didn't make him feel any different.

Having his suspicions aroused, Harry decided after a few days of testing to try studying without wearing the pendant. The result clarified the Gorgoneion's effects completely: after just an hour of reading out-loud, not only that his throat was hurting from so much continuous talking but he also got bored to death; he has been reading _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy._ It was a book solely concentrated on enumerating and describing the genealogy tree of all the Pureblood families in The United Kingdom...

Which 11 years old boy would actually give a damn about something like this? Maybe the heir of an old Pureblood family would sometimes skim through the book to boost and inflate his ego...but a nearly illiterate and former street-rat like Harry caring about something like this? Maybe when the hell would freeze over.

However, wanting to continue the experiment, Harry put on the Gorgoneion back, around his neck. In the next moment, the soreness of his throat vanished and he tentatively started reading again (still out-loud to improve his pronunciation) from the book.

Half an hour has seemingly passed in the blink of an eye and, before Harry realised it, he had gotten so engrossed in the book that he nearly missed again the fact that none of the things he had just read have faded from his memory. It was an amazing feat because who would normally be able to memorize a few hundreds of names (and some very weird ones at that) after reading them only once?

With newfound appreciation and awe at the magical artefact he had had the fortune of being bestowed with, Harry took a full advantage of the benefits it brought. Following the confirmation of the pendant's attributes, Harry read all the books in the curriculum of the First Year students and - at his tutor's recommendation - he also bought from Flourish and Blotts _Modern Magical History_ , _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_ and _Hogwarts: A History._

After reading all these books, Harry's horizons have broadened even more! He learned about the Dark Lord Grindelwald's reign of terror in the entire Europe and – to his fright – about the Dark Lord's defeat at the hands of Albus Dumbledore...the very same person with the old man that Harry had attacked a few weeks before. In that moment Harry understood just how much of an important person Dumbledore was. For the British Wizarding Society Dumbledore's standing was almost the same with that of Queen Elisabeth II in the eyes of the British non-magical people...for such a big shot like him to personally come in order to invite an 11 years old boy to a boarding school, was ridiculous. Even an idiot would clearly understand that something was fishy about this entire situation. But as of now Harry could only choose the "wait and see" approach since he lacked the necessary information to make a good decision.

Besides learning about Dumbledore and Grindelwald, Harry had also read about the Blood War which had ended only a decade ago. And what caught his attention the most was that seemingly all-powerful Dumbledore had been unable to do anything major against this new Dark Lord...in the end it was actually a one year old boy that brought an end to Voldemort's reign – Neville Longbottom! (and yes, Harry had had to beg of Tom to actually tell him the name of "You-Know-Who" and "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named")

Learning about this left Harry with an incredulous expression on his face: how could an infant possibly defeat one of the most powerful wizards alive at that time? Harry refused to believe such a thing, it smelled too much like a bedtime story for children.

' _At that age, Neville Longbottom was still shitting his own pants...only an idiot would actually take seriously such a fairy tale' –_ was what Harry thought.

What Harry seemed to have forgotten was that until just a few weeks before, many of the things he was seeing on a daily basis now, had been just a myth for him as well. In a world where dragons and hippogriffs still existed and humans could casually fly on charmed broomsticks, conjure living beings from nothingness and teleport to places hundreds of miles away, Harry should have had a mind more open to the seemingly unbelievable stories. But how could you hold it against him? In the end, he was just like a new-born in the eyes of the Wizarding World.

Through the reading he had done, Harry discovered another very interesting thing: apparently, the attributes of the Gorgoneion he was wearing were not unique! There were a few enchanted items in the recorded history that had had the ability to improve one's concentration and mental capabilities, with the most notable of them being Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem.

However, very few of the magical artefacts he had read about were coming anywhere close to what his Gorgoneion was capable of in terms of ability – fact that made him aware even more of just how precious it was and how lucky was he to possess it. Because of that, he decided at that moment that he would keep secret the pendant's existence no matter the cost!

During his years spent on London's streets, Harry had seen with his own eyes once a teenager stabbing another one to death only for a few hundred pounds. If people are capable of killing even for such a small amount of money, what would they be capable of doing once they learned of his pendant's abilities? And given how chaotic and dangerous the Wizarding World seemed to be – what, with 2 Dark Lords rising in less than 50 years – Harry had all the reasons to fear for his life in case that anyone got wind of what he possessed.

Back with Harry, in the present, he was finally going to go out after three weeks of intensive studying. His recent behaviour was so unlike him that he was getting embarrassed at the thought of how he holed up like a nerd to study for weeks. Because of that, he felt an even bigger desire to go wander the Diagon Alley and spend his time in leisurely, just like in the "old times".

It was almost surreal for Harry how much his life changed in only 3 weeks: he found out he was in fact not as special as he used to think (there were millions of wizards on Earth) and what left him somewhat at a loss of what to do, was that he didn't need to steal any longer in order to survive...One would probably scold Harry if he knew his thoughts, but what Harry felt was only natural...He had been living by stealing for almost half of the life he remembered (which started since around the age of 3). (1)

Now that he had suddenly been thrown into a life where he had nothing to worry about, it made Harry almost feel like he had lost his purpose in life. Before, his purpose was to steal in order to survive; it was simple, and it kept him busy. He had something to strive for: to become rich!

But now, he didn't have a goal anymore...he was already filthy rich! Yes, Harry learned about his heritage without Dumbledore's help. When he read _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy,_ Harry also found his own name written in there!

Thus, he learned that his father was James Potter and that he had a quite the privileged status in the wizarding world. From there, Harry deduced that a family as old and noble as the Potter family could not possibly have nothing left stored away! Following this conclusion, Harry rented Tom's owl and sent a letter to Dumbledore in which he asked about his heritage...

Well, Harry didn't really ask, he more like bluffed by demanding an explanation. His words have been something among these lines: _"I have learned about my parents and my heritage...How nice of you, headmaster, to offer to pay up for all my necessities when I'm actually filthy rich. If I didn't know any better I'd think you purposely hid these things from me.."_

The very next day, Harry received his reply in which Dumbledore predictably explained that he didn't wish for Harry to start worrying about money from such a young age...and yes, apparently the headmaster was thick-skinned enough to actually tell something like that to a child that had practically had to think about money on a daily basis for the past three years.

But the envelope from Gringotts that Dumbledore sent attached to the letter, made Harry to not particularly care about his poor-made excuses. In the end, he knew very well that they were just empty words anyway. It had been obvious that the old wizard had not had in mind initially to disclose that piece of information because only a few weeks before, he had used it as a bait for Harry to convince him to attend Hogwarts.

Long story short, Harry had enough money to live like a sloth for the rest of his life, there being no need for him to work even a day. Of course, Harry had been very ecstatic and he was still feeling very happy about this discovery...but deep down in his heart, Harry felt...unfulfilled. This wasn't what he had had in mind when he had been dreaming about becoming rich. He had wanted to get everything with his own two hands, to fight for his goal.

Harry sighed softly to himself and after changing his clothes to a pair of dark blue jeans and a black short-sleeved T-shirt, he left the Leaky Cauldron and entered the Diagon Alley along with another group of people that came to buy for their children what they needed to start the new year at Hogwarts.

Having already bought everything he needed, Harry wandered through the shops aimlessly. He went to the Quality Quidditch Supplies Shop and gazed curiously at the broomsticks exposed, along with other few tens of excited boys around his age and he even stopped at the shop with the magical instruments. But eventually, he got bored and after buying a delicious ice-cream from Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlor, Harry headed towards the Knockturn Alley. However, after only taking a few steps, Harry turned back and changed directions immediately...that place was giving off a dangerous vibe, not unlike to that one would get when walking at night through one of the ill-famed districts of a big city.

When he turned back, Harry decided to go visit the Magical Menagerie as well. It was a pet shop, selling all kind of animals.

Upon entering through the door, a very chaotic scene welcomed him...the shop was filled with people who ogled at the animals which in turn made then restless. The air was filled with feathers from all kinds of birds, cats were meowing loudly from every corner of the shop and the snakes were hissing from behind their glassed cages angrily...only for the snakes to quiet down at the same time, instantly, when he stepped through the door.

A large Boa snake behind a cage made of glass which was spelled with an Unbreakable Charm lifted its head slowly and hissed towards Harry:

 **"Are you our massster?"**

The Gorgoneion at Harry's chest throbbed and heated up and in that moment Harry stepped back frightened. The shop was full of people, but Harry just _knew_ that the snake has been talking to him!

By then, the nearby people also noticed the snakes' uncommon behaviour and were throwing curious glances around the room to see which was the reason for it.

Trying to put on an innocent face, Harry left the shop before anything came out from this situation. As he hurried towards the inn, Harry recalled the information he got from _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century._ In that book, it was said about "He-Who-Must-No-Be-Named" that he was a Parselmouth – that he could talk to snakes.

Apparently this 'gift' was not common among wizards and – at least in Western Europe – it was strongly associated with the Dark Magic and evil wizards.

' _If these people are willing to believe that a one year old baby had gotten them rid of such a ridiculously powerful mass-murderer, it's not difficult to predict what would they think about an eleven years old child that can talk to snakes...'_

That night Harry was still thinking about the incident from the Magical Menagerie Shop. What was vexing him was how did those snakes know he was a Parselmouth? He, himself, had not been aware of that until then. But when he replayed the scene in his mind, Harry remembered that when he stepped through the shop's door, the pendant around his neck pulsated and heated up.

' _Could it have been because of you?'_ Harry rhetorically asked himself as he rubbed the surface of the Gorgoneion.

Harry thought that it was quite possible...after all, the Gorgoneion was a pendant which depicted a woman having snakes instead of hair; and given the magical abilities it demonstrated during the past month, Harry stopped being too surprised.

"You almost caused me a shit-ton of problems, do you know that?" he said as he held the stone pendant in front of his eyes.

"Well, it doesn't matter...compared to how much you helped me during the past month, this should not be even mentioned, right?"

If Harry was disappointed about the lack of a response, he didn't show it. After putting the pendant back at his neck – he never left it from his person since the day he discovered its value – Harry closed his eyes and let the sleep engulf him.

 _Scene break_

A loud knocking on the wooden door startled Harry awake.

"Harry, you'd better wake up, the Hogwarts Express leaves in less than 30 minutes!"

Harry rubbed his eyes tiredly, not paying attention to what Tom said, but when the words sank in...

"Bollocks!"

He had been reading until past 2 am again last night and he would have continued to read if he hadn't taken off his pendant from his neck. By doing that though, all the tiredness accumulated from an entire day of reading and studying overwhelmed him and he fell asleep like a log.

Harry was immensely grateful to his pendant – yes, he wanted to believe that it had some sort of sentience – for all the help it gave him, but he noticed that wearing it all the time was influencing his personality too much...especially since he came into contact with the wizarding world. Until then (Harry had been in its possession for nearly three months before Dumbledore came after him), it had not given any signs of being out of ordinary. But after Harry came in contact with the magical world, the pendant suddenly became extraordinary.

And ever since it became extraordinary, the pendant started to change his personality at an alarming pace! Harry used to be nearly illiterate and had no interest in school, reading and any other similar activities. He used to be one of the future gangsters from London's streets, not some sort of nerd devouring information like a man in the desert drinks water after nearly dying of thirst.

It was somewhat vexing that even after taking off the pendant, Harry still felt the urge to continue assimilating information. His curiosity was almost maddening him if he denied it and because of that Harry was experiencing a minor case of an identity crisis.

Harry shook his head and started to hurriedly dress up. There was no time for him to get distracted, the train left in less than half an hour. Fortunately, he had prepared his luggage from the previous evening, so everything was neatly packed in his trunk – as neatly as someone that has never done that before was able to.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry was attracting odd looks as he ran on a platform at King's Cross, dragging behind him a very large dark green trunk. It wasn't because he looked weird – he dressed up rather nice according to the Muggles' standards – but rather because of what he was doing: an eleven years old boy was actually running while dragging behind him a trunk easily weighting over 30 pounds. At that age children could barely lift that weight, let alone run like Harry was doing... how could these people know that Harry was actually assisted by his magic which levitated the trunk just half an inch above the ground?

When Harry finally arrived to the portal that led to platform nine and three-quarters, he sped trough it fearlessly – fortunately for him, Tom had been nice enough to tell him everything he needed to know.

What greeted Harry on the other side of the portal truly was a sight to behold: a scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another and here and frogs could be seen trying to jump off from their owners' hands.

It was a rather chaotic scene, but Harry didn't mind it. He had kind of missed London's tumultuous streets during his stay at the Leaky Cauldron. Now, he was glad to see some 'life' again.

With a small grin on his face, Harry headed towards the closest entrance of the train. Just as he arrived at the door, a buzz of excitement could be heard from the crowd of people and they all turned their heads towards the entrance of the platform.

There, from under the wrought-iron archway a middle-aged couple came walking in hurriedly, holding their two younger children's hands while the older one was coming along behind them with his trunk.

But the crowd's attention was not directed at the middle-aged couple, nor at their two younger children, but at the boy behind them. On the middle of his forehead, a lightning bolt-like scar was being shown rather proudly in Harry's opinion, seeing as the boy's fringe was neatly styled to the side in order to not obstruct it from view.

They didn't get to make five steps before a squad of reporters appeared in front of them seemingly out of nowhere and camera flashes began to blind the famous family.

"Move out of the way, please! Move to the side please! We don't have time right now!" was what the two adults were saying incessantly as they swam through the sea of people. And it was true, there were only 5 minutes before the train left.

Harry didn't ogle at them for too long; he also had to find a free compartment and settle down for the ride. He turned his back and without even waving his hand or wand (the wand was useless to him anyway), he levitated the heavy trunk into the train. To his small happiness, the corridors of the compartment were all empty seeing as all the students either gathered at the windows or came down from the train in order to see the Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry kept walking until he finally found an empty compartment. He entered it and, after taking out a book from his trunk, he levitated it up on the stand above his head. He took a seat and looked on the window at nothing in particular as he thought:

' _So that pudgy boy was the saviour of the world? And I used to think that ordinary people are naive. Wizards, however...'_

He let a small sigh and turned his eyes towards the famous boy once again. Neville Longbottom was grinning wildly at the cameras and waving his hand at everyone as he trudged towards one of the train's doors.

' _He seems to enjoy his fame...well, who wouldn't do the same in his place?'_

Harry shook his head to remove these useless thoughts. He opened the book he took out from the trunk and started to read again...but then he came to his senses. He took off the Gorgoneion around his neck and hid it in one of his jeans' pockets. The desire to read the book nearly disappeared and Harry put the book back into his trunk, to remove the "temptation".

Finally, a loud whistle could be heard and people all started to scramble towards their compartments.

 _Scene break_

The train has already been moving for a little more than an hour and, surprisingly, no-one else came in the compartment; boys and girls went by looking for a place, as if Harry's compartment was not even there in the first place! It was almost like it was invisible- ...in that moment Harry finally realized just how hot felt the pocket where the Gorgoneion was stored away.

"Is this because of you?" Harry asked, looking at the stone pendant in his hands through narrowed eyes.

The woman's eyes glowed red for a second and Harry dropped the pendant and jumped back in shock. When he realized his reaction, he felt himself flush red with embarrassment...the Gorgoneion proved to be extraordinary again and again during the past month and he has even started to think it actually possessed some form of sentience. He should have not reacted like that..

But he has never expected the pendant to actually answer him! He picked it up again and asked with uncertainty in his voice:

"D-Do you understand me?"

The woman's eyes flashed red again and a strange feeling of happiness invaded Harry. Excitement came over him and he laughed gleefully.

"So you really are sentient?" Harry asked after the rush of excitement finally subsided, and the woman's eyes glowed red again.

Harry asked a few more questions but after a few minutes the Gorgoneion didn't show any signs of 'life' anymore.

' _Could it be that it has run out of energy?'_

Harry's guess has been on spot seeing as a sudden knock on the compartment's door was heard. Apparently, the ward the pendant placed around the compartment has become visible again. Harry suspected that the Gorgoneion had made his compartment invisible before, so that he doesn't have any distractions, to make him read again because of boredom. It did sound a bit far-fetched but this was the best explanation Harry could come up with.

Hearing the knock on the door, Harry hurriedly put the chain of the Gorgoneion around his neck and hid it under his green shirt.

A woman slid the door and asked with a large and kind smile on her face:

"Anything you want off the cart, dear?"

Harry, who had yet to eat anything that day, immediately jumped at the chance. He took out a small handbag full of galleons making the woman's eyes go round at him. You have to understand that the medium salary of a wizard was around 250 galleons...and in his brown leathery handbag, there didn't seem to be any less money than that.

Harry noticed the look she gave him and he narrowed his eyes at her as he closed the handbag. The woman felt embarrassed at being caught staring so blatantly at the money of an eleven years old boy, but she dressed her voice and urged him to buy what he wanted.

In the end, Harry bought two pumpkin pasties and four cauldron cakes. He went back to his compartment and after he slid the door back, he began to eat ravenously the food he had bought.

"Aww please, ma'am, I only need one more sickle!"

"I'm sorry, dear, I can't –"

"Pretty please?" Harry heard the voice of a girl insisting and in that moment a weird feeling came over him, making him almost choke on his food.

From how the voice of the woman sounded, Harry understood that even she must have become flustered as well.

"I-I...erm...can't you borrow from someone?"

There was a moment of silence, before the door was slid open and Harry finally saw who was the girl whose voice he had heard moments before... And for a moment there, he was rendered speechless at her appearance. He has never seen such an exotic and beautiful girl in his entire life!

It was an eleven years old girl, with straight and waist-length silver-white hair and pale white skin. Her eyebrows were silvery-white as well and a pair of blue eyes were partially hidden behind her long silver eyelashes. A small and cute nose and a pair of soft-looking pink lips completed the picture.

The girl looked condescendingly at Harry's reaction but smiled charmingly nonetheless.

"Hello, I'm Alice!"

"Erm..hi! I'm Hawry." He said with his mouth full.

The girl named Alice barely managed to stop herself from turning her face away from the disgusting sight of Harry trying to speak while food fell down from his mouth.

"Err, why don't you try to finish eating first?"

"Alright, I'm done... I'm Harry." he said again, wiping the corner of his mouth with the sleeves of his shirt.

The white-haired girl almost grimaced again but kept her expression in check this time as well.

"Nice to meet you!" she beamed at him and Harry almost felt something stirring his stomach at the sight of her brilliant smile.

"Y-Yeah, me too." he replied rather dumbly.

"I was wondering... could you borrow me one sickle, _please_?" Alice asked and Harry felt his blood boiling inside of him and his heart starting to hammer in his chest.

But at that moment, a pulse of magic rushed into Harry from his precious pendant and his mind cleared instantly. He abruptly sat up and he lashed against her with his magic.

Alice was now pinned to the door of the compartment and she felt a tremendous force pressing down her chest.

"What did you do to me?!" he shouted at her, still keeping her pinned in mid-air to the door.

The girl was now having trouble breathing and she began to trash around desperately. Realising what was he almost suffocating her, Harry let go of her and she collapsed on the floor breathlessly.

She had a frightened look on her face and she was looking at him terrified.

"What did you try to do to me?" Harry asked now calmly, but anger was still obvious in his voice.

"N-Nothing! I-"

"Don't lie to me, bitch!"

Because of the comics he had read when he was younger, Harry had a very clear idea about what telepathy was capable of. And ever since Dumbledore invaded his mind a month ago, he had been very jumpy and paranoid about other wizards/withes trying to mess up with his brain.

And now Harry was not only angry but also scared at the same time as well. That was because when Dumbledore invaded his mind, he was expelled instantly and rather brutally at that too by the Gorgoneion's magic...yet this time, a girl a century younger than the old wizard almost managed to manipulate him at her own will...and the Gorgoneion barely stopped it.

"I-I'm not! I didn't wa-"

But Harry was having none of that. He made a show of getting his wand out of his pocket and pointed it the girl, knowing that it caused the wizards the same reaction it would cause a Muggle by pointing a gun at him.

"Don't make me resort to violence!"

Even without the effect of her that weird feeling in play, Harry noticed that Alice still was ridiculously beautiful...but that didn't move his heart too much. During his days as a homeless little thief, he had seen more than once beautiful girls luring men into narrow alleys or shady buildings, from where they would be thrown out afterwards bruised and battered, barely conscious. He wasn't going to show weakness just because she was beautiful.

Sure, had it been a boy or a girl not as beautiful as her, Harry would have probably already started kicking the living daylights out of her. Giving her the chance to explain herself before beating her to a pulp – that was Harry already being lenient.

When Alice saw Harry pointing his wand at her face, she scrambled up to her feet and started screaming for help.

"Ohh, so you're that kind of bitch, huh?" Harry asked and black lines appeared on his forehead.

"At least let me give you a real reason to scream for help." Harry said and he threw a rather hard kick at her mid-section.

Alice grunted in pain and collapsed again on the floor coughing and crying at the same time.

It was not the first time Harry has hit a girl, he had been forced by the situation to do it a few times in the past. On the streets, be it a girl or be it a boy, you could anytime find yourself at the point of a knife, being threatened to hand over all of your money...you can't live amongst wolves by acting as a sheep. It might be an exaggeration – things were not always that bad – but "Eat or be eaten" was a fairly good saying to describe the relationship between those not affiliated with the same gang.

Now that the girl collapsed on the floor, Harry would normally kick her in the face hard, to knock her out and "seal the deal". At least this is how he acted against everyone that tried to harm him...but after looking at Alice' pretty face covered by tears, he felt like it was a real pity to disfigure such a beautiful girl...

He was undecided what to do, but in the end, Harry was 'saved' from making a decision seeing as the door was almost torn off when it was opened and a 15 or so years old red-haired boy came in with his wand raised.

"What happened here?" the redhead asked while glancing at the crying girl on the floor.

"This bitch tried to manipulate me with magic. I only taught her a small but valuable lesson." Harry said impassively.

The older boy went to the crying Alice and picked her up from the floor. Meanwhile, more students gathered curiously at the door of Harry's compartment, trying to find out what happened.

"You're going to come with me to the Prefects' compartment."

"And why should I do that?" Harry questioned, not backing away in the least.

"I'm Percy Weasley, I'm a prefect." the redhead said frowning at him.

"..."

"Do I look like I give a damn about that?"

Excited voices could be heard from the crowd gathered at the door of the compartment when they witnessed Harry's behaviour. When have they seen before a firstie having the guts to hold his ground against a fifth year?!

"You come here and, without even understanding the situation, you're already taking a decision...some prefect you are.."

Percy's face reddened until it looked like a tomato, but just as he was about to explode at Harry, a mocking voice snickered from the crowd.

"Well, he's a Weasley, what can you expect? Stupidity runs deep in their family."

At that moment, the group of students surrounding the one that has just spoken, even the ones not sorted yet, they all started to roar with laughter.

"So you're a Malfoy, aren't you?" Percy sneered back at him.

"So what? You can't even dock points from me, I'm not even sorted yet...and what if I end up in that useless house of yours? Will you take off point from your own already dead-last house?"

"Haha, Draco, don't even joke about something like this. Even Hufflepuff would be a better choice than ending up with those idiots." mocked a rather tall and muscular 17 years old boy from Draco's back.

"Says the retard that failed his NEWTs last year!" another redhead boy yelled from the other side of the door's compartment and even more students started to laugh this time.

It was not boring to watch the byplay , but Harry knew that this was 10 out of 10 chances going to end up in a brawl and he really was in no mood to be a part of it.

The mood became more heated with every passing minute, but then, a tall man wearing a turban came into the picture and made order. Fortunately, the girl previously crying has long since been taken by her friends, so Harry did not get in trouble seeing as no-one snitched him, not even Percy (though that may have been because two twin redheads were dragging him along with them, to prevent him from starting a fight against the muscular guy that insulted the Gryffindor House).

"Stupid cunt, I really hope I'm not going to end up in the same house with him!" Harry muttered darkly under his breath after everyone was gone and he was left alone in his compartment.

* * *

AN: Alice is an OC, a Veela – that was the reason for the "weird feeling" Harry has gotten. And yes, she was using her allure on purpose, to make the woman with the cart and Harry to submit. I bet you were not expecting her to be such a condescending bitch when you read about her appearance haha. Well, although she's beautiful - it's natural since she's a veela - don't expect her to be perfect. No-one is perfect, everyone has flaws. I'm trying to make her look real.

(1) It is said that before the age of 3, any memories people remember are actually not real. So you could say Harry was remembering 8 years, of which 3 years have been lived by him on the streets, with pickpocketing being his only source of income.

 _(I'm not an English native and I don't have a beta either. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made)_


	4. Chapter 4 - The Sorting

**AN:**

"Hello" – normal talking

' _Hello' –_ thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 4 - The Sorting**

"Granger Hermione!" professor McGonagall shouted and a girl with bushy brown hair stepped forwards nervously.

She took a seat on the three-legged stool and the professor put the old Sorting Hat on her head. The hat stood on her head for almost three minutes, still not making a decision! But just as everyone was starting to become restless, the Sorting Hat shouted:

"Hufflepuff!"

The students at the Hufflepuff House's table erupted into cheers and welcomed the newly sorted girl with warm smiles on their faces, some of the older girls even taking her a hug. Seeing this display of affection, Hermione nearly teared up – it was the first time someone outside of her family gave her a hug.

And Harry who happened to witness this scene had feeling of longing as well. But that feeling lasted only a moment as the very next second the rational part of him squashed it immediately.

It has been 3 years since he was on his own and despite feeling lonely sometimes, overall he felt like it was better that way. This opinion was reinforced once again during the last month when he had the chance to witness just how childish and immature were other children of his age in the wizarding world...What Harry failed to understand was that that was the case for all the children everywhere, not just in the Wizarding World. If they aren't acting childish at this age, then when would they?

Harry had not been the sole homeless child in London. There were many other underage people that lived on the streets and had miserable lives – not everyone had magic at their disposal to deal with their problems. Because of their rough life, those children naturally had become more mature than other children of their age.

But how could those homeless children possibly be compared with the wizards and witches' children?

Magical people were relatively few in numbers, that being the case especially for the old pureblood wizarding families. Children were seen as the most important resource of the wizarding world and because of that most magical people treated their children with utmost love and care. Even the children growing up in poor families lived a much better life than their Muggle counterparts.

Bottom line, Harry didn't understand the fact that it wasn't that the rest of the children were too immature but that it was actually him that stood out by being too mature for his age..

...

"Neville Longbottom!"

At that shout, the mood in the Great Hall abruptly changed and Harry was shaken off from his thoughts as well.

A pudgy boy dressed up in expensive robes stepped forward confidently. His brown hair was slicked to the side neatly and an eye-catching lightning bolt-like scar was clearly visible in the middle of his forehead.

The hat barely touched the boy's head when it shouted:

"Gryffindor!"

Loud chorus of cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table and most of the students from the other houses joined into clapping their hands loudly as well.

A brilliant smile graced the Boy-Who-Lived's face and he swaggered towards his housemates, where he was swarmed immediately by enthusiastic students, everyone wanting to shake hands with him.

One by one, the first year students were called forward and sorted into one of the 4 houses.

"Potter Harry!"

Hearing his name being called, Harry stepped forward rather nervously, but he didn't let it show on his face. The reason for his nervousness was that only after arriving in the Great Hall did Harry realise that the Gorgoneion around his neck might react rather violently.

Tom, the Bartender from the Leaky Cauldron told Harry a few weeks before how would the Sorting process proceed, but Harry didn't really think about it too much. Only now, after realizing that the hat actually used some sort of mind-reading spell on the students to sort them, did Harry become aware of how could his precious pendant interfere...and he really hoped he wasn't going to make a scene as questions would naturally arise afterwards.

' _My, my, what do we have here?'_ the hat spoke directly into Harry's mind.

' _You actually are capable of getting into my mind?'_

' _Of course, that's what I was made to do..'_ the hat replied in a puzzled voice. _'Why do you ask, was I not supposed to?'_

' _N-No'_

 _..._

' _You're definitely hiding something, young man...'_

The hat stood silent for a few seconds and Harry grew tense, expecting it to uncover the secret of the Gorgoneion.

In his mind, he was already going through a number of courses of action he would take if his secret got uncovered. What should he do? Should he just try to rip the hat apart if it talked? Or should he try to escape? ...but where to? It was night and Hogwarts was in the middle of nowhere! Furthermore, he had read in _Hogwarts: A History_ that the Forbidden Forest was filled with all kinds of vicious dark creatures...who is to say they were not leaving the forest's perimeter during night-time?

But Harry's growing panic and wild paranoia were extinguished when the hat continued to speak seemingly unaware of his thoughts. And to Harry's relief, apparently, the Hat was not able to read all of his memories and thoughts since everything concerning the Gorgoneion was still hidden away from the Hat.

"Well, whatever... let's see... There's talent, oh my, there is so much of it! Your mind doesn't fall behind your talent either... and as for courage, there's also plenty of it. However...there's no ambition, there is nothing that drives you, you have nothing to strive for...Hmm...then where should I put you?"

And it truly was a difficult choice for the Sorting Hat because Harry didn't fit well in any of the 4 founders' criteria!

He didn't have any friends and he was not in a hurry to make some either. He was more of a loner – thus Hufflepuff was excluded from the start. Ravenclaw? ...if it hadn't been for the Gorgoneion, Harry wouldn't have touched a book even from a distance with a stick. As for Gryffindor? From what Harry heard from the bartender from Leaky Cauldron, this house was like a louder and more boisterous House of Hufflepuff. Furthermore, Gryffindor emphasized loyalty and honesty...things which Harry seriously lacked. Harry was not loyal to anyone as he had yet to meet someone deserving it. As for honesty...is there even necessary to go there? – years of having to survive from a day to another by himself on the streets made stealing become his second nature.

And the Sorting Hat's thoughts about Harry were among the same lines as well. He truly was a difficult one.

"Which house would you want to be sorted in?" the hat asked Harry rather helplessly.

"I don't really care which one...oh wait, actually, there is one house I don't want to be sorted in. So put me everywhere but in Gryffindor."

After rummaging through Harry's memories, the hat understood the reason for Harry's distaste at the Gryffindors.

"You do understand that that boy Percy is just an isolated case, don't you?"

At the Sorting Hat's question, Harry mentally shrugged nonchalantly not bothering to reply. In the end, although Harry was quite mature for his age, he still acted childishly from time to time. Only an immature or a bigoted person would judge an entire group of people just by looking at the actions of a single individual.

But that reaction made the hat quite annoyed. Most first year students were like a nervous mess and always begged it to sort them into a certain house. Nobody had that _"I don't give a crap, just do you damned job already"_ attitude.

..But then it clicked: that phlegmatic attitude of his plus the rather unhealthy inclination towards defying rules and the authoritative figures kind of made Harry match Salazar Slytherin's standards like a glove...that if only it wasn't for his lack of a goal, for his lack of determination.

Although it takes time to write all these, their conversation didn't last for too long. Before a minute from when the hat was put on Harry's head passed, it screamed:

"Slytherin!"

At that various reaction could be seen from everyone: those who knew about Potter family's tradition of ending up in Gryffindor were sporting a slightly betrayed look on their faces, professor McGonagall pursed her lips and frowned while Hogwarts' potion master's, Severus Snape's face turned into a scowl. None of these could be compared though with the headache Dumbledore got in that moment.

Dumbledore's intention had been for Harry to end up in Gryffindor, surrounded by students loyal to him, students who venerated the ground he walked on. It would've been alright even if he had ended up in other houses...but not Slytherin.

' _Really?_ _Slytherin of all choices?'_ was what the headmaster was rhetorically asking himself in his mind, lamenting.

In that moment, the face of a rather skinny and pale Tom Riddle appeared at the front of his Dumbledore's mind, and the old wizard had to seriously concentrate on his Occlumency to settle down his stray thoughts. He decided that he'd cross that bridge when he'd get to it...until then, he should make the most of the current situation.

Harry's robes changed to match the silver and green colours of the Slytherin House and after he got up from the stool, he went to his house's table. Unlike the students in the other houses, Slytherins were noticeably more subsided – after shaking hands with the nearby older students, Harry was left alone to his own devices.

The first years continued to be sorted, and with Zabinni Blaise being called the last, everyone was sorted into one of the four houses...everyone except for a certain white-haired girl.

"Argyris Lilith!" (1

When McGonagall called this name, everyone started to look around curiously. Not only that the name had not been called in the alphabetical order – it should have been called at the beginning, given that the surname starts with A – but the surname also sounded exotic. Therefore, everyone was curious to see who was the girl.

An eleven years old girl with silvery-white hair and blue eyes came forward and seated herself on the stool. Before professor McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on the girl's head, she directed her eyes towards the rest of the students and said:

"Ms. Argyris has been home-schooled from an early age and because of that, she is an entire level above the ordinary first years that come to Hogwarts every year. Therefore, she is to be enrolled straight into the second year – this is the reason why she was put to be sorted last."

"Ms. Argyris comes from an old wizarding family from Greece...I'm telling you all these things now because, as most of you know, there are no institutions of magical education in Greece. Ms. Argyris and the 3rd year Ravenclaw Mr. Papadopoulos Yannis are part of a program initiated between the Ministries of Magic of Great Britain and Greece. Should the officials from the Greek Ministry of Magic be pleased with their development and should Ms. Argyris and Mr. Papadopoulos give them a favourable review, starting with the next year Hogwarts is going to receive most of the students from Greece that would otherwise have been home-schooled."

"I hope you realize the importance of their presence here...What I ask of all of you is for your behaviour to not be unbefitting of one of the best institutions of magical education in the world."

At professor McGonagall's words, everyone's eyes fell on Ms. Argyris and after taking a better look at her, most of them couldn't help but sigh in admiration at her beauty. However, their glances were not passionate, nor were they obsessive: she was just an eleven years old after all and – most importantly – after the incident that happened on the train ride, Ms. Argyris stopped using her allure completely.

When Harry saw the girl that introduced herself to him as "Alice" stepping forward, he couldn't help but mutter darkly under his breath:

"On the train, she did not even bother to introduce herself to me with her real name...that bitch...!"

But when Harry heard McGonagall's following words, he involuntarily let out groan and couldn't help but massage his temples as if he was preparing them for the incoming headache. As if on cue, Harry felt the girl glaring daggers at him heatedly.

' _So much for me avoiding trouble and not attracting anyone's attention...Meh, I'll just have to beat the crap out of her again if it comes down to it...'_ was what his inner hooligan thought.

But then, the rational part of his brain reminded him that he was in an institution now and that he could not continue to act like a vagabond. He had to somehow integrate with the collective and obey the general rules if he wanted to not be shunned by everyone. It wasn't that Harry wanted to not be shunned because he wanted to make friends and become popular, but because he wanted to be left alone, to his own devices. Although he would always respond to hostility with hostility and despite his upbringing, Harry actually didn't enjoy being violent. He'd much rather choose to be treated normally, with indifference, instead of being hated.

When McGonagall finished her speech, she put the old Sorting Hat on Lilith's head and waited to the side patiently. Patiently, because the hat seemed to be taking its time in sorting the girl into a house.

' _Are you sure you want there?'_ the hat asked the girl.

"Yes. I want to make Potter's school life miserable!"

' _...'_

' _Do you realize that that incident was actually your fault?'_

Lilith clenched her small hands into fists and she almost shouted out loud at the hat:

"Shut up!"

Fortunately, she got a hold of herself at the last moment and her intended shout actually came out as a whisper.

' _...I pity your future husband...'_

By now Lilith's face was red and she almost felt like wanting to burn the hat to a crisp, right then and right there, in the middle of the Great Hall.

' _..getting back to business, with your prodigious talent, your curiosity and your sharp mind, you possess all the traits Rowena Ravenclaw treasured at her students.'_

...after nearly making the girl yell in rage, the Hat surely was not stingy at all with the praising in order to calm her down. And it actually worked! For some reason, every time she was praised, a warm feeling appeared in Lilith's chest...Lilith loved her ego being stroked.

Witnessing the girl's abrupt mood swing, the Sorting Hat didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

'This girl sure has been spoiled rotten by her parents' – was what the hat thought before it continued its conversation with her:

' _So I ask you again, do you really want to be sorted into Slytherin? Although you may succeed in making his school experience miserable, yours will not be any better either. Great Britain is not like Greece...'_

' _While in Greece your family can hold its head high_ _ **especially**_ _because of their magical creature heritage, in Great Britain it would be quite the opposite. The largest part of the population is very prejudiced even against the humans with lesser blood, let alone magical creatures. And although this has never been Salazar's intention at the beginning, the house of Slytherin is actually the house with the most aggressive stance against your kind.'_

"I- Is that so?" Lilith asked more than a little startled by the Sorting Hat's words.

She has been briefly warned before leaving Greece that she was most likely going to have a hard time in UK at the beginning, but she didn't think it was to this extent.

In that moment, although she knew that being in a different house meant it would be harder for her to get back at the one who had abused her, her intelligence was in the end way above average – obviously, the first students that the Greek Ministry of Magic had sent had to be the best they had to offer in order for them to make a strong impression. Therefore, the Ministry of Magic from Greece naturally sent the students with the most outstanding results in education.

That being said, although Lilith was very impulsive, she didn't follow her emotions mindlessly. In the end, she accepted to follow the Hat's advice since it seemed to be a much smarter thing to do in the long run.

"Ravenclaw!" shouted the hat and the Ravenclaw students all started to clap loudly. They were very pleased with Lilith being sorted into their house because if she was anything like Mr. Papadopoulos, Ravenclaw would actually win the House Cup that year! – yes, the Greek 3rd year Ravenclaw was be considered a genius. ...Last year they would have won the House Cup as well if it weren't for the Slytherin winning the Quidditch Cup, thus getting the necessary points to jump from the second place to first...

With that, the Sorting Ceremony ended and all the first years felt their mouths water at the marvellous sight of the food appearing on their plates out of nowhere.

But they had to hold their hunger in for the moment seeing as Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet.

"Welcome!" he said with his arms opened wide, as if nothing pleased him more than seeing the Great Hall of Hogwarts being filled with students.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we start stuffing ourselves with food, I would like to say a few words."

"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

Everybody clapped and cheered but Harry only watched the scene stupidly.

' _There's some large-scale herd behaviour in this school'_ Harry thought ' _What was there to clap and cheer for? The old fart basically insulted them, all the while having a large smile on his face.'_

Harry actually felt the urge to facepalm himself.

But when the cheering stopped and the headmaster got back to his seat, everyone's focus shifted to the filled with delicious-looking food tables. Harry also ignored all his previous thoughts and turned his attention to the sight in front of him: food, so much of food! Moreover, it was cooked food!

During the month he lived at the Leaky Cauldron, Harry spoiled himself with all kinds of cooked food. It was a luxury he didn't have before, as a homeless child. Because although he didn't lack money, he couldn't very well go to a restaurant and order some food given his age. Thus, for 3 years straight, Harry only ate from the fast-food. And because of that, he still got excited at the sight of cooked food even if there has already been a month since he stopped havin to worry about food.

And now, at the thought that cooked food would wait for him every morning for the next 7 years, Harry felt somewhat emotional. Sure, he had found out that he was rich, but there's a saying - "a miser will always be a miser". Knowing that he was going to eat all these delicacies for years without even needing to spend a penny, this thought was giving Harry a feeling of satisfaction.

Harry filled his plate with everything: roasted chicken, boiled eggs, bacon, sausages and he even kept a tiny corner of the plate free for the pumpkin pasties...He made a very weird impression when compared with the other students sitting besides him.

It wasn't that he was eating like a pig, but the amount of food Harry greedily stacked on his plate sure was worthy of a pig's appetite. No, he was like a starved refugee!

Just as Harry started to ravenously dig in, a soft chuckle was heard from his left.

"You're pretty hungry, aren't you?"

It was a boy a few years older than him. He had chin-length wavy black hair, his skin was slightly dark and his face had soft but aristocratic features.

Harry shook his head in affirmative at him, but didn't stop eating. At his behaviour, the older boy only raised his eyebrows and chuckled again...apparently Harry had his priorities set very straight.

"You know" he continued "some people are getting really uncomfortable looking at the amount of food you're gobbling. Look, even a teacher is looking at you."

Harry swallowed the food in his mouth before saying:

"Well, they all can suck a dick for all I care."

Quite a few heads turned towards him after hearing his vulgar words but Harry couldn't care less...meanwhile, the dark-skinned boy barely managed to stop himself from laughing out loud.

"You know...with that foul mouth of yours no girl will ever look at you.."

Harry looked at him weirdly before asking:

"And how is this any of your business?"

The older boy was taken aback at Harry's blunt question, but after a few moments his face broke into a large grin and he said:

"You...I like you!"

"..."

"You're creepy. Please go away!" Harry said with a straight face, making the older boy blanch again.

At Harry words, the girl seated in front of them across the table burst into a loud laughter. Seeing the dark-skinned boy still not recovering after getting roasted, the girl began to laugh even harder and hugged her sides while even tears started to flow from her eyes.

"I- I can't...it's too much...that face!"

At the girl's laugh, the dark-skinned boy woke up from his stupor and narrowed his eyes at Harry:

"I'll surely get back at you Harry Potter! Pray that you will not ever learn just to what depths I am willing to sink in order to get my revenge!"

"Oh shut it, faggot!" the girl across them said when she recovered from her uncontrollable laughter.

She had brown hair which was styled into an intricate braid, her skin had a healthy pink colour and her hazel eyes were shining with mischief.

"What was that, _Gwyneth_?" the boy asked meaningfully putting the accent on her name.

"Don't you even dare go there, _Danforth_!"

The two were almost butting heads by now and Harry felt weird that they didn't attract half of their table's occupants' attention with their antics.

"Would you two lovebirds knock it off? What are you 12 years old brats?" Harry asked forcing his voice to sound gruff.

' _Damn, I always wanted to say that!'_ Harry thought, mentally giving himself a pat on the back.

"I'm 13!" the two 'lovebirds' said at the same time, which almost caused them to butt heads again.

They both sniffed at each other at the same time and turned their heads disdainfully before sitting back to their places.

Harry felt like he was watching a live comedy play.

"Now, seriously, knock it off, guys. I'm trying to eat here. Just how old are you?"

"...You do realize that you're a nothing but a pipsqueak, don't you?" the girl asked back heatedly and then, she and the dark skinned boy started to laugh together at Harry's expense.

All of a sudden, the older boy dressed his voice and exclaimed dramatically:

"Oh, how rude of me to not have introduced myself...Allow me!"

His right hand went through his wavy locks of hair and he gave Harry what was supposed to be a dazzling smile as he said:

"From the great nation of England..."

"From the mighty and eternal city of Ipswich..." (2)

"Coming from the ancient and most noble house of Martlesham..."

"Cut it off you plebeian" the girl suddenly interrupted him.

"Who are you calling a plebeian, woman?"

The two continued to bicker but Harry tuned their voices out. When he finally ate his fill, he said:

"The two of you are sticking out like a sore thumb.."

And Harry was right. It wasn't that the Slytherin House's table was as silent as if it was a funeral, but they were clearly more subsided. Most of the students there talked in moderate voices and their behaviour as a whole gave off the impression of a mild mannered collective. Sure, there also were some exceptions, but the greater part of them minded their manners. Hence, the bickering duo was like a pair of "black sheep" amongst them.

"Do you see anyone complaining, or at least throwing dirty glances at us?" the boy asked rather smugly.

When Harry looked around, true to the boy's words, nobody had their attention focussed on them.

"You're probably wondering how come it's like this...in fact, it's just thanks to a simple Silencing Charm." the girl said while twirling her ivory white wand with her slender fingers.

Harry's attention was immediately piqued and he asked enthusiastically:

"Can you show me the spell as well, please?"

The girl laughed and said:

"Hold your horses, pipsqueack, it's still too early for you to attempt this kind of spells."

"However, we used this spell because there is something important we want to discuss with you about.." the girl trailed off, her previously playful demeanour being abruptly replaced by a serious mood.

* * *

AN:

(1) Argyris is a Greek surname that means silver.

(2) Ipswich is actually one of the oldest settlements of Great Britain, having existed even since Roman Empire's time.

 _(I'm not an English native and I don't have a beta either. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made)_


	5. Chapter 5 - Vengeance

AN:

"Hello" – normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 5 - Vengeance**

Almost two months have passed and Harry was more than a little disappointed with Hogwarts. No, not with the castle itself, but with the courses...so far, at all the classes apart from Potions, they have done nothing except for studying theory! But he didn't care about theory. What Harry wanted was to learn how to use his magic. And in his mind, studying all those diagrams and boring theorems would not help him turn into a cat and then back again into a human at all – yes, professor McGonagall did not lose the opportunity to impress the first-year students with her mastery over Transfiguration.

With his thoughts flying towards the professors at Hogwarts, Harry had mixed feelings: there were some decent ones that looked like they really knew what they were talking about – like McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick – but there were also some of them that were simply useless. For example, the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts was utterly useless. Not only Harry could barely understand what was he talking because of his stuttering, but he couldn't even sleep during his class because of the horrid smell.

 _'No, for real, that stench of garlic could probably kill even humans, not only vampires.'_ Harry thought while his eyes unconsciously started to water at the vivid recalling of the smell.

Besides the DADA professor, there was another useless one, the teacher of History of Magic. Harry almost had a panic attack when in the very fist class of History of Magic, he fell asleep!

No, the reason for him panicking was not the fear of losing points or getting detention – he could care less about these things – but the fact that he had been wearing his precious Gorgoneion around his neck when he fell asleep! Even with his precious pendant around his neck, Harry had actually fallen asleep!

Until then, Harry has been able to study for even 12 - 14 hours straight without feeling any bad consequences as long as he didn't take off his pendant...yet now, only 15 minutes in the class and he already fell. Apparently the saying "you can't win every battle" was true even for such a godly magical artefact like the Gorgoneion. Harry didn't know whether should he be impressed or scared by the ghost professor's ability of putting everyone to sleep.

Following this his line of thought, Harry started thinking about Severus Snape, the Potions professor and the Head of his House. He had mixed feelings about him as well.

One hand, he seemed like he was a real expert at what he did and he cared a lot about the students in his house, going even to the extent of offering them additional potions classes to make sure they were better than the rest of the student body of Hogwarts...not a fair teacher, that's true, but who would care about something like this as long as they were the ones being favoured?

On the other hand though, professor Snape seemed to fully ignore Harry's existence. The two of them never exchanged any words outside the moments when Snape called the roll at the beginning of the class and Harry had to confirm his presence there.

And it was especially because of his indifference as the Head of the House towards him, that Harry has gotten in his current predicament.

At the banquet at the start of the year, Gwyneth Ashwood and Danforth Martlesham – the third year duo that had struck a conversation with him – warned Harry that he would suffer some real difficulties in this House.

The reason for that was his ancestry. Harry Potter was...a Potter. None of the members of his family have ever ended up being sorted into the Slytherin House! Most of them have ended up in Gryffindor, some would be sorted in Ravenclaw and some even in Hufflepuff...everywhere but Slytherin! Because of that, neither of his housemates looked at him with good eyes. Furthermore, Draco Malfoy and the other two big oafs always following him around never lost a chance to annoy the heck out of him. During the first week at Hogwarts they have even ambushed him while he was alone in one of the castle's many corridors.

Although they were all wizards, the three Slytherins were wizards only in name at that time. They couldn't do any spells yet, it was only their first week at Hogwarts after all. Because of that, the three attackers have relied on their fists' strength...a thing which proved to be their downfall.

Draco, Crabbe and Goyle have never before received such a violent beating – after being harassed for nearly an etire week straight, Harry's blood rushed to his head and he didn't care about consequences anymore: 'telekinesis'-empowered punches and kicks rained upon his three assailants like a waterfall.

How could have 3 children born with a silver spoon in their mouths compare themselves with a hooligan who had to survive by himself for years on London's streets? It was like comparing 3 garden snakes with a viper:

 _Flashback_

 _"Well, well, well...what have we gotten here...a filthy little half-blood trash." Draco Malfoy sneered mockingly and his two partners laughed dumbly at the same time at his words._

 _In that moment, Harry saw red in front of his eyes. Never before in his life has he had to suffer being mocked by anyone without getting back at them. Especially, not for an entire week, continuously._

'To think that there would come a day whe I would be bullied by a bunch of still wet behind the years brats...I'll show them what happens to those that have the guts to fuck with me! _' Harry raged in his mind, determined to beat them half to death._

 _Despite his anger, Harry still looked around for a moment to see if there were any witnesses. After all, the reason for him not beating them to a pulp the very first moment they started bullshitting almost a week ago was this: he couldn't afford to act openly. Sometimes he was too rational for his own good. And he reckoned that considering his shaky status among his peeres, attacking openly some of their own would only make him the receiver of their ire and hate._

 _But after Harry glanced around and realized that it was only the four of them on that corridor, Harry smiled cruely. Seeing Harry grinning like a loon, Draco had foreboding feeling and he almost chocked with the snide words he was about to say._

 _"I finally got you alone you motherfucking bastards! To think a bunch of snot-nosed brats like you have the balls to act like that in front of me. I put up with your shit for an entire week...let me show you what '_ never tickle a sleeping dragon' _actually means."_

 _'Never tickle a sleeping dragon' was Hogwarts' motto... Apparently, even when being livid with anger, the nerdy side of Harry's personality which had been brought out by the Gorgoneion was still present._

 _With an angry wave of his two hands, Crabbe and Goyle were levitated and clashed one into each other before falling on the floor groaning in pain. At that sight, all of Draco's bravura and his big mouth disappeared. He started to step backwards trembling – Harry's face was almost purple by now because of all the pent-up anger during the week being released at one moment. Draco was terrified._

 _A heavy punch collided with the blonde boy's face and a sickening crunch came from his nose. Draco collapsed on the ground seeing stars in front of his eyes and Harry began to savagely kick and punch at his face and torso like a madman. He only stopped when the boy lost his consciousness._

 _Harry lifted himself from atop Draco and after sending one more kick at his face, he spit on him in a very disgusting manner._

 _By then, Crabbe and Goyle have already gotten up to their feet, but the sight of Harry savagely beating up Draco like a psychopath petrified them. It was the first time they have ever witnessed such a brutal violence. They, themselves, have never even seen anyon hit someone else before apart from their parents punishing their House-Elves. But this level of savagery and violence was entirely new for them._

 _When Harry turned with his face towards them, Goyle let a sound almost like a whimper. With Draco's blood dripping from his knuckles and with the veins on his forehead throbbing, Harry emanated a very dangerous aura._

 _But by the time when the thought that they should run away finally popped into Crabbe and Goyle's_ _minds, Harry has already reached them. Despite the two of them being a head taller than Harru and more solid than him, their outcome was no better than Draco's. It was a one-sided beating._

 _Flashback end_

For an entire week afterwards, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle have resided in the Hospital Wing. They have been beaten very badly, and their wounds were not light.

Not only had Madam Pomfrey been appalled at their appearance, even the rest of the professors tried to find out who has been the one to wreck them like that. But to everyone's frustration, the three of them refused to say a word.

Whether they were scared about the consequences of them snitching on Harry, or they were too ashamed to admit that three of them got beaten to a pulp by a single guy - that was unclear. Moreover, due to their state, it never went through the professors' mind to suspect anyone younger than 13 years old of being the culprit. In their minds no eleven years old like Harry was capable of inflicting such damage. Not even Dumbledore seemed to suspect Harry because the wounds the three boys received were not made by magic, but clearly by punches and kicks. Dumbledore didn't believe a scrawny boy like Harry was capable of besting two massive for their age Crabbe and Goyle at the same time, even if he used his mastery over the Levitation Charm.

However, despite the brutal beating the three of them received, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle didn't seem to have learned their lesson. Two weeks after their wounds got healed completely, they started harassing Harry and all the other half-blood students in Slytherin (and not only) once again.

The reason for their newfound confidence was that everywhere they went, the three of them would be followed dutifully by a 7th year boy from Slytherin. Technically, it was actually his 8th year at Hogwarts - yes, it was the one about whom the read-haired boy from the side of the Gryffindors said in the train that he had failed his NEWT. Harry learned that his name was Marcus Flint.

Because of the new addition to the group, Harry couldn't find any opportunity to mess them up again. And what angered Harry even more was the passive attitude the professors took towards their behaviour. Everyday inside the Great Hall, Malfoy and his little gang got into verbal spats with Neville Longbottom and his friends and everyday, Draco would say loudly something snarky about how "Mudbloods" and half-bloods were the Wizarding World's trash and how they should be treated like slaves.

 _Scene break_

It was now almost the middle of the night but Harry had no thoughts of going to sleep. He was seated on one of the leathery sofas in the Slytherin Common Room watching the fire burning merrily – it was already October and they were in a Dungeon; it was expected to be cold enough for a fire to be needed.

The common room was a dungeon-like room with greenish lamps and chairs. It actually extended partway under the lake, which gave the light in the room a green tinge. The common room had lots of low backed black and dark green leather sofas and it was decorated with skulls and expensive dark wood cupboards.

But the most impressive thing was that thanks being built partially under the lake, the windows of the common room were like an aquarium's glass walls. Because of that, one could often see the fishes and the other magical creatures residing in the lake. Harry had even seen once the Giant Squid!

If you asked students at Hogwarts which was the most impressive part of the castle, most of them would either tell you that it was the Great Hall or the Astronomy Tower. However, those in Slytherin would always tell you that their common room was the most impressive part of the castle. And many students would have agreed with them if they had been given the chance to see it. Unfortunately for them, no outsider has put a foot inside Slytherin House's common room in the last 700 years! It is understandable that they wouldn't know too much of its grandeur.

But in that moment, Harry did not care about the decorum of the room at all.

"Those gits...they're like a pack of rabid dogs. They only stay put for as long as they feel pain. When the pain passes, they forget about it and start barking again." Harry muttered darkly under his breath.

These two months he had spent at Hogwarts have been some of the most frustrating in his life so far. He had had to swallow his anger and let three stuck up pricks harass him while being unable to do them anything because of that 7th year student.

Harry had confidence to fight against anyone of his age and even against Muggle adults, but he was not a fool. Although Marcus Flint was somewhat stupid for his age, Harry was convinced of the fact that the older boy knew more than a few offensive spells. After all, that was the most attractive type of spells for muscle-heads. It was lile with the Muggle gangters: regardless of how stupid the were, everyone knew how to use a knife or a gun when it came down to it.

Despite being aware of above mentioned things, Harry could simply not take it anymore. Everyone has a limit of how much they can tollerate, and Harry's patience had long since passed the threshold. Harry instinctively knew that if it hadn't been for his Gorgoneion clearing up his mind every time it had gotten muddled by anger, he would have snapped weeks ago, consequences be damned.

To actually act against a 7th year wizard was a source of anxiety and worry for Harry. Not even while walking London's streets during night-time had Harry felt so much pressure. Because Harry knew that if managed to beat the living shit out of the older boy, once he openly went against both Draco and Marcus Flint, the entire House would side with them. And that would mean his demise because It would be like being forced to fight an entire gang by himself in a space as small as a supermarket...a gang whose members all had magical powers.

But he had to do something! He _**needed**_ to find a way to get back at them! And that's how he came with an idea...after stalking Marcus Flint for almost 3 weeks, Harry found out that twice a week, Marcus Flint would secretly sneak into Hogsmeade to buy Firewhisky. With that occasion Harry had also learned about the secret tunnel that led outside Hogwarts' ground. He had yet to try it out, but he was glad that he found a way through which he could escape should the need arise.

What was Harry's plan though? He had decided to attack the 7th year Slytherin by surprise and then take him to the banned corridor on 3rd floor. He hoped that that way, when the old and smelly caretaker found him, Flint would be expelled. After all, Dumbledore had said clearly at the end of the banquet in the evening they arrived at Hogwarts that no-one was to approach the corridor on the third floor unless they wanted a violent death.

 _'I call bullshit on that!'_ Harry thought while sniffing in contempt.

 _'But if the old fart went as far as to make death threats, I'm willing to bet even my trust vault that there is something very important being kept in there. Something which students should not even know about.'_

 _'And when that dumbass will be found in there, if this is not going to get him expelled, then I don't know what will.'_

Harry chuckled softly at his malicious thoughts and sat up from his seat. He put a stocking on his head to hide his face and left the Slytherin common room, the stone statue guarding its entrance closing it back right after he disappeared from its sight.

Harry sped through the castle's stairs and corridors and after ten minutes, he arrived at his destination – the fourth floor, right in front of a stone statue. It depicted a fat and bald wizard which sported a smug smirk on his face; it was the statue of Gregory the Smarmy.

By the time he arrived there, Harry was shaking in excitement and even through the stocking that covered his head, a large grin could be seen adorning his face. After 3 whole months of being "a good boy" (yes, he was counting the month when he had lived at the Leaky Cauldron as well) he was finally breaking again some laws/rules! Sure, he did beat up the "dumb trio" a few weeks ago, but that had been on the spur of the moment. It didn't count. What he was going to do now, was something he had been planning on doing for weeks.

But Harry's high subsided eventually when the watch at his left wrist showed that it was already 1 am and Marcus Flint had still yet to come. Getting bored, Harry's thoughts began to fly to various random things.

 _'Come to think of it, this sock was unexpectedly charmed someway.'_ Harry thought as he touched the stocking covering his face.

Harry had nicked the pair of stockings two days ago from a blonde girl in his house called Daphne. He didn't want to take them from her especially, he didn't care either way. It just happened that she was the one the ha let her door unlocked first. That Harry stole from her was in part her fault as well since she didn't pay enough attention to her actions - at least this was Harry's train of thought.

The Slytherin Dungeon offered its inhabitants very good lodging conditions – there would never be more than 2 students sharing the same room. For example, Harry shared a room with a dark skinned boy called Blaise, Draco with a brown-haired boy called Nott, Crabbe with Goyle etc.

Because of that, when both Daphne and her roommate Tracy left along with rest of the house to lunch in the Great Hall, Harry sneaked into her room and stole a pair of clean stockings – yep, he was not a pervert, he had no interest in sniffing dirty clothes.

At any rate, what amazed Harry now was that after breathing more than an hour through the stocking covering his face, it didn't become wet all! It might not look like a revolutionary fact for someone who had been raised in the wizarding world, but for Harry who has never heard of such a thing, it was brilliant. He decided right then that he would actually shamelessly ask Daphne someday what kind of charm was placed on that pair of stockings.

 _'Imagine, spending the whole summer not breaking a sweat. Like literally!'_ he thought with a hint of excitement.

That was because although summers were not as torrid in England as they were in other parts of Europe, during the years he has spent on the streets, Harry has experienced on his own skin just how hot the weather could actually get. For Harry – and for any ordinary Muggle for that matter – having clothes that would eliminate their sweating during the hot summer days was reason enough to put him in a very good mood.

But Harry was shook off from his thoughts when he heard a soft creaking sound coming from the statue. The fourth floor corridor was mostly bare with nothing to hide behind of, the statue of Gregory the Smarmy being pretty much the only decoration. Because of that, Harry ducked into the nearest empty classroom and waited.

After a while, Marcus Flint's heavy steps could be heard and Harry's ears even picked up some of the 7th year Slytherin boy:

"Stupid NEWT...McGonagall...cunt.."

Harry had to struggle hard to supress his laughter at Marcus' words about the stern Transfiguration teacher. Apparently it was the Transfiguration NEWT that made him repeat the 7 year at Hogwarts.

Harry looked around in the room he hid. It looked like an abandoned classroom. There were some old and broken desks laying around, but what attracted Harry's attention was the large mirror near the wall. It had an old and majestic feel to it and Harry felt like he was being compelled to look at it.

But then, the Gorgoneion around his neck pulsated and Harry was woken up as if he had just been in trance. He immediately averted his eyes from the mirror and he couldn't help the lingering fear that he felt at that moment in his heart.

 _'This world is simply too unpredictable and dangerous! Even a random object could cause one's death and sometimes you can get cursed without even touching it'_

These were Harry's thoughts and at that moment his appreciation towards his magical pendant increased once again. No, Harry didn't know which would have been the mirror's effects if it hadn't been for the Gorgoneion cutting them off, but he was sure they couldn't be nice. So far, the Gorgoneion has not done anything but protect his mind from unwelcome intruders - and it had actually had the intelligence to allow the Sorting Hat a peek into Harry's mind, which meant that those not meaning to harm him would not be obstructed!

 _'Probably this mirror would have screwed with my mind, making me unable to ever look away from it or some shite like that.'_

But Harry was distracted from his thoughts again when he heard the loud sound fart coming from the corridor.

 _'Filthy skunk...and he's supposed to be a pureblood, an aristocrat.'_

Estimating that the 7th year Slytherin would very soon reach the end of the corridor and climb down the stairs to the 3rd floor, Harry left the classroom and started tiptoeing after him.

When Flint reached the stairs that led to the third floor Harry pushed his arm forward forcefully and the air in front of his palm distorted. The next moment, Marcus Flint was sent hurling trough the air and crashed painfully on the marble floor.

At being sent hurling through the air, the boy let out startled cry and Harry growled in frustration.

"Merlin's balls!" Harry swore - and yes, he had also picked up some of the wizards' swearings - "He was supposed to lose his consciousness or to at least be dazed, not to squeal like a dying pig."

He ran towards the spot where Marcus Flint crashed and the sight made even Harry shudder – the reason for Flint's desperate yells, was one of his arms: it was bended to an unnatural angle and the bone was almost protruding through the skin. But before the older boy could let out another yell, Harry's put his hand on Flint's shoulder and chanted in his mind the incantation:

 _'Petrificus Totalus!'_

The 7th year student was completely immobilized as if he was paralyzed and Harry sighed in relief when his screams stopped.

Harry had had a hard time learning to do this spell. The first reason for this was that for the first three weeks or so, Harry didn't even understand why was there a real need for him to say an incantation. Truth being told, he was not clear even now about it, the only explanation he could come up with was that it helped the weak-minded people concentrate. After all, until then, he has never used any words to control his magic. He simply made it follow his will.

Just a few days before, Flitwick finally started to make the first year students practice the Levitation Charm. Harry could perform the spell both wandlessly and nonverbally - he has been capable of doing this for years! Yet, when being asked to do the Levitation Charm by reciting the incantation and doing the specific wand movement, Harry didn't manage to move even an inch the white feather he was supposed to make it float. That was also because even to this day, Harry has not managed to get a positive reaction from his wand. In fact, Harry believed that taking an ordinary stick and doing magic with it would most likely render better results than using his own wand which always rejected his touch.

Eventually, after spending a great deal of time and effort, Harry managed to master the Full-Body Binding Curse (it was the first that he had wanted to learn because its uses looked very appealing to him), but then he stumbled upon another problem: while he had seen other students using this spell on others from distance, he was incapable of obtaining an effect unless he touched his target.

It goes without saying just annoyed Harry got every time he thought about his shortcomings.

While Harry's mind was pondering on all these things, his body didn't stay still. With a wave of his hand, the still body of the 7th year boy started to float in front of Harry and he climbed down the stairs to the third floor.

Just when Harry stepped into the forbidden corridor on the 3rd floor..

"Meowww"

A scrawny cat with dust-coloured fur and bulging yellow eyes meowed loudly and Harry broke into a sweat.

"Shitty cat!" Harry yelled and out of frustration delivered a kick to the poor cat, sending it mewling at 10 feet away.

It was obviously Filch's, the caretaker's cat! It was one of the most hated beings at Hogwarts, 'battling' for the first place alongside its master, Filch, the poltergeist Peeves and the head of Slytherin House, Severus Snape.

Just as Harry swore vehemently while thinking that things couldn't possibly get any worse, right at that moment he heard a loud bellow:

"STUDENTS OUT OF THE BED!"

"STUDENTS OUT OF THE BED, ON THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

Harry felt like screaming in frustration. He couldn't think of any situation when he has ever had so much bad luck like in this night.

"Fuck my life! Charms corridor is on the third floor as well!" Harry said through gritted teeth.

 _'But how did that bloody ghost find out about me?'_ he thought _'I_ _made sure that not even portraits saw me...no, wait...could it be there are other students haunting the corridors besides me? Why now?!'_ Harry lamented.

He ran across the forbidden corridor on the 3rd floor and stopped at the first door which seemed to lead to a classroom. But when he tried opening with the thought of dumping Marcus Flint there and run back to his dorm, he realized the door was locked.

' _Alohomora!'_ Harry said in his mind as he touched the handle...but his spell didn't work.

"Alohomora!" Harry shouted the incantation out loud this time.

While his spell failed once again, to his growing anxiousness and panic, Harry's ears picked up the sounds made by the footsteps of several people.

"OPEN THE FUCK UP, DAMNIT!" Harry roared as he pounded at the door with his fists.

A ripple of magic went from Harry's fist through the heavy wooden door, making it tremble, and to his glee and bewilderment, he door opened up with a click. He has been right after all! He didn't need fancy and tongue-twisting incantations to do magic!

But he shook his head and not wasting a minute more, Harry slapped Marcus Flint's face while chanting a **_Finite_** in his mind and before the older boy started screaming again because of the pain he felt from his broken arm, Harry threw him through the opened door hurriedly with his wandless and nonverbal Levitation Charm.

When Harry closed the door, it locked back automatically and he broke into a mad dash towards the Slytherin Dungeon.

But Harry barely got to the entrance of the second floor, when a blood-curdling scream and ferocious growl that would make even a lion sound like a kitten, made his heart almost jump out of his chest.

 _"NO, HELP! Aaargh! AAARRGGH!"_

* * *

AN:

 _(I'm not an English native and I don't have a beta either. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made)_


	6. Chapter 6 - The Goddess

**AN** : I finally got a beta, a round of cheers fo **r TheUdonAddict!**

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 _Previous chapter_

 _But Harry barely got to the entrance of the second floor, when a blood-curdling scream and ferocious growl that would make even a lion sound like a kitten, made his heart almost jump out of his chest._

 _"NO, HELP! Aaargh! AAARRGGH!"_

* * *

 **Chapter 6 - The Goddess**

"The bloody hell did I just hear?!" Harry nearly yelled in shock.

But then he remembered the words "violent death" and when he coupled it with the ferocious growl, Harry's heart was shaken and a feeling of nausea overtook him. He felt as if he couldn't breathe and his heart started to beat violently. He ripped the stocking off his head and took large gulps of air as if he was suffocating.

"No...no..!" Harry shouted and broke into a mad run back towards the third corridor. He was afraid he would die of a heart attack if he didn't make sure Flint was alright. Sure, he hated the stupid prick but he didn't deserve to die...and not at his hands anyway!

He climbed up the stairs so fast that one would think there was python on his tail. But when he arrived there he saw 6 first year students petrified at the sight in front of their eyes.

Harry turned his eyes to where the other 6 students were looking and he instantly bent over vomiting. There, at the entrance of the classroom in which Harry had thrown Marcus Flint in, was the 7th year boy laying in a pool of his own blood...at least what was left of him...his legs have been ripped off and only his bloodied torso was still on the floor, right in front of the door.

Another growl was heard and Harry looked in panic towards where Flint's corpse laid. But there was nothing. Unconsciously, Harry's eyes fell on Flint's face which was coincidentally looking towards him. The first thing Harry noticed was how livid it looked and how his eyes were still open and bulged in terror. A trail of blood was flowing from his now violet lips and the boy's previously large front teeth were broken.

Right then, an enormous black paw that barely squeezed out of the classroom through the door, suddenly appeared and stomped down violently on what was left of the 7th year student's corpse. This act finally snapped out everyone out of their shocked states and they all started to scream in panic. Two girls and a boy fainted on the spot while the other three boys started to run screaming as if they were possessed.

When the paw collided with Flint's torso, a sound of bones being shattered was heard and the black furred beast in the classroom started to drag the body inside. In that moment, to Harry's horror, Flint's lips seemed to move and mouth the words: "You killed me."

Harry's heart thumped loudly and his sight was drowned by darkness. He lost his consciousness.

 _Scene break_

SEVENTH YEAR STUDENT AT HOGWARTS BRUTALLY RIPPED APART BY A THREE-HEADED CERBERUS. STUDENTS TRAUMATIZED.

Just a few days before Halloween, the 7th year Slytherin student Marcus Flint together with the 1st year student Harry Potter from the same house left the Slytherin Dungeons for what we assume it was a bonding time between friends, to wander through the majestic halls and corridors or the ancient castle of Hogwarts.

Sure, they did it after the curfew, but let's be honest, which one of us never broke a rule while being at Hogwarts? It's in children's nature to be full of energy and mischievous after all...Who Would Have Thought That That Was Going To Be One Of Their Last Day Alive?

The departed Marcus B. Flint met his end at the fierce claws and fangs of a gigantic and vicious three-headed Cerberus. A 15 FEET TALL BLOODY CERBERUS!

Please excuse me for my language, my dear readers, but this is simple inconceivable!

Albus Dumbledore, the Daily Prophet's entire team asks you directly through my quill: "What were you thinking about when you brought such a vicious and dangerous magical creature in a school full of children?!".

Not only us, but I dare say everyone demands an explanation! Especially the family of the deceased student!

Fortunately, our Minister of Magic, Marcus Martlesham has been very prompt in starting an investigation. After all, Minister Martlesham also has his younger son currently studying at Hogwarts (Danforth Martlesham, 3rd year Slytherin).

Worth mentioning is that 6 other students have witnessed first-hand poor Marcus Flint being mauled in front of their very eyes. Some of them have remained with mental traumas and were consulted by Healers specialized in brain damage.

We from the Daily Prophet hope that regardless of their status, the Ministry of Magic will no hesitate in bringing justice upon the ones guilty of this tragedy.

By Rita Skeeter.

This was the article on the first page of Daily Prophet's edition from the 4th of November.

It was Monday and virtually every student at Hogwarts had a copy of the Daily Prophet newspaper in front of their eyes.

The Great Hall was silent. A week before a student was killed. They didn't even have a body to bury anymore. Sure, three quarters of the student body at Hogwarts hated the Slytherin House but even the most bigoted and prejudiced students against the Slytherins didn't wish for them to have such a horrible death.

The Halloween had not been celebrated this year but none of the students could bring themselves to complain about it. Even the notorious happy-go-lucky Weasley twins sported serious looks on their faces.

But some students were noticeably more distraught than the others. It was precisely Harry and the other 6 students which witnessed Marcus Flint's brutal death. The six were Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan and two girls from Ravenclaw, Lilith Argyris and a small and petite girl with large glasses and curly red hair, called Anna Blueberry.

The boys (excluding Harry) were all from Gryffindor House and they had been on the corridors after curfew because of Draco Malfoy. Earlier that day Draco challenged Neville at a wizards' duel in the Trophy Room in the middle of the night. However, that proved to be just a trap Draco had laid for them. Instead of coming over, he had tipped off Filch which in turn caused the 4 Gryffindors to almost get caught by him (though they were caught afterwards but given the circumstances nobody docked points from them nor did they get any detentions anymore).

As for the two Ravenclaw girls, Lilith also happened to hear Draco's challenge. Given her curiosity - the Sorting Hat had been right about her even if it was trying to flatter her at that moment - Lilith couldn't help herself. She had always wanted to see at which level was the famous Boy-Who-Lived when it came to real magic, not the obscure voodoo that happened when he was a baby.

But she was girl...and she was a Veela...and a full-Veela at that. For her to be afraid of wandering through the castle's corridors by herself at night was understandable. After all, her mother warned her many times that there were many beasts among men which would not pass the chance to defile a girl if they were given the chance. And since she was a full Veela, the percentage of the ones that would succumb to their desires would be close to 99 percent. This is why she took her friend with her. Being together with someone made sure that no unwanted incidents would happen. How could she have known though, that she would go through such a soul-shaking experience?

However, amongst them, Harry looked the worst by far. His originally wild hair was even more shaggy now and it looked clearly unkempt. His robes were full of wrinkles and his round glasses couldn't hide the dark bags from under his eyes.

It has been a week since he caused Flint's death and ever since that day, Harry has barely been able to get any sleep at all. Every time he closed his eyes he would see Flint's bloodied and dead face whispering: 'You killed me'.

If he still didn't open his eyes, the whisper would grow in volume until it became and unearthly scream:

"YOU KILLED ME!"

Harry would then wake up covered up with sweat and shouting.

And this is why Harry felt forced to learn how to do a Silencing Charm. Because of his shouting in his sleep, his roommate Blaise Zabini was also kind of frightened. He hasn't told Harry anything yet, nor has he complained to others about Harry's nightmares. Apparently, the dark skinned boy was very considerate and understood that Harry was left with a mental trauma after witnessing someone dying in such gory manner.

But that didn't mean Zabini was enjoying hearing Harry screaming and thrashing in his sleep. Because of that Harry tried his hardest to learn a Silencing Charm. By putting his recent insights to use -t he fact that he didn't really need Latin for his spells no matter what - he managed after 4 days or so to get it done. Blaise could no longer hear his screams anymore.

While everyone was reading the article written by Rita Skeeter, they all glanced at the professors' table. They were not surprised at all to see Dumbledore's seat being unoccupied. For the past week, Dumbledore hardly appeared in the Great Hall at the breakfast or lunch time.

"Wicked!" a 4th year boy seated in front of Harry exclaimed as he read the newspaper. "Look, they got some pics from the incident, there's even the pool of of blood! This is so cool, I wonder how-"

But Harry didn't hear the rest of his words as Flint's face appeared at the front of his mind and feeling of nausea came of over him again. He lost his appetite. He sat up from the table and exited the Great Hall wobbling like a drunk man.

He walked for a while before he stopped and leaned his back against the wall of the corridor. But soon after, he forced himself to stand straight again and walked until he arrived at the boys's bathroom from the first floor. He went to the sink and cupped some water with his hands, splashing it on his face, not even taking of his glasses off at first.

He brought his head under the sink's faucet and let the cold jet of water soak his hair and face completely.

"My, my, someone's awfully depressed.."

Harry was startled by the voice and the back of his head painfully collided with the faucet. It was the voice of a girl.

"What the fuck are you doing in here! Get the heck out of the boy's bathroom, perverted bitch."

Harry growled at her without clearly seeing who was he talking to - his glasses were wet and without them Harry was as blind as a bat.

The girl's face flushed red at being called a pervert but she forced at least her voice to remain calm even if her face's expression betrayed her state of mind.

"You know, besides you, there were 6 other students that witnessed that big oaf's death - me included. Yet none of us reacted the same way you do. Yes, we were terrified and distraught for a few days as well, but we all recovered...I am a very curious type of person, Harry Potter, and I'm wondering what makes you react this way..."

Harry suddenly punched the mirror above the sink and screamed:

"I told you to get lost!"

The girl stepped back in fright and Harry turned towards her while wiping off his glasses. When he put them back, he was instantly angered even more - the girl was "Alice"...or better said Lilith.

"Don't think you can do as you please, you barbarian. I made my parents check out your background. And there is nothing their connections can't solve." the girl said with tinge of arrogance. "You're nothing and you have no-one's support. And after what you've done, you're sure to end up in Azkaban regardless of your age!"

Seeing Harry flinch, the Lilith pressed on, bluffing:

"You're a barbarian. There is no way some blood would scare you shitless. No, I'm sure you were involved in his death somehow..."

But Lilith stopped talking when all of a sudden the doors from 4 the bathroom cabins came off of their hinges and started to float besides Harry.

"Since I'm already in deep shit, I might as well also start to swim in it." Harry said with a dark look in his eyes.

The Gorgoneion was sending pulses of magic at him continuously, but after almost a month of bottling up anger against Draco Malfoy and his little gang, after killing someone by mistake and after being tortured by nightmares for an entire week, Harry's mind finally snapped. He couldn't bear with the pressure anymore and for the moment he stopped thinking rationally.

Lilith was startled at the abrupt display of wandless and nonverbal magic, but she shook her head to clear off her mind.

"Last time to you took me by surprise, but you think I'm a weakling?" Lilith shouted at him as she took out her wand and pointed it Harry.

 _"Incarcerous!"_

Thin cords shot from Lilith ivory-white wand and before Harry could react, they coiled around his body like serpents. He tried to rip the m off by enforcing his body with "telekinesis" but the more he struggled, the tighter the cords constricted around his body. It was to the point that they almost cut into his flesh.

Harry still continued to struggle mindlessly until the pain finally woke up from his craziness.

"Oh, so the pain brought your mind out of the gutter." Lilith said lightly as she crouched near his sprawled on the floor body.

As if woken from a trance, the first thing Harry said was:

"This is a 6th year spell. How the heck does someone like you know how to do it?"

"What do you mean by someone like me?" Lilith shouted back at him angrily and kicked his shin. Harry grunted in pain, but stood silent afterwards, not saying anything else.

...

"What? Are you not going to say anything?" Lilith all but shouted at him after a few minutes of silence. She had expected him to start cursing at her and thrashing around but instead Harry was lying there motionless, not even bothering to look at her.

"What do you take me for? An idiot? I'm at your mercy now, why would I make my situation bleaker than it already is?" Harry replied.

Lilith didn't say anything for a while, but then she asked:

"How did you kill that 7th year guy? ...no, why did you do it? You did something like this only because of a grudge?!"

At Lilith's insinuating words, Harry's temper flared.

"Do you think I wanted to kill him?" he raged at her starting to struggle in his bindings making them tighten around himself even more.

"Do you think I wanted to see his dead body every time I close my eyes and be tortured by nightmares every night? Don't fuck around with me! How was I supposed to know there was a fucking gigantic Cerberus in a school?" Harry shouted and hot tears started to flow from his eyes.

"You...you actually did it...!" Lilith exclaimed breathlessly.

When she bluffed by asking Harry what was his role in Marcus Flint's death, she was thinking that Harry was probably the one to suggest the older boy to go there or lured him there somehow...not that Harry was actually guilty of his death.

But when she looked at Harry's face, she knew that everything he said was true. Harry's face looked as if he didn't get sleep for days, his cheeks were sunken and purple bags were clearly visible under his eyes. Moreover, looking at how tears flowed from his eyes, she was certain that Marcus Flint's death was an accident, an accident which would have not happened had this been a normal school, with no ferocious monsters hidden inside it. And Potter was regretting it enormously - that was the reason for his nightmares.

Lilith swished her wand at the doors which had been taken off by Harry from their hinges and muttered a whispered "Reparo". The doors floated back in their original place and their hinges were repaired. Then, she touched the cords around Harry and said:

 _"Finite Incantatem!"_

After seeing the cords vanishing, Lilith turned on her heels and left the bathroom with a conflicted look on her face.

Harry however didn't even get up from the cold floor. He continued to lay there crying his soul out. Although he had seen people getting stabbed before by gangsters, it was not the same with him, himself, causing another one's death. Despite the mature thinking he usually displayed, in the end Harry was just an eleven years old boy. This kind of reaction was only natural for any sane adult let alone a child. The real problem would have been if hadn't felt any feelings of remorse about what he had done.

 _Scene break_

Harry didn't know for how long he has stayed like that on the cold floor of the bathroom, but eventually everything faded into darkness. When he opened his eyes, Harry was almost blinded by the unexpected rays of the burning sun.

"What the...?"

Where was he? How did he end up there? Speaking of that, his surroundings looked nothing like Hogwarts.

Surrounded by mountains and containing a river with crystal water crossing it, the valley Harry was currently in looked not unlike what Harry imagined the Garden of Eden to look like when the nuns told him and the rest of the children at the orphanage the story of Adam and Eve.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The air was filled with a mesmerizing fragrance and the cold water of the river made sure that the temperature of the air was not to too high. The nearby mountains' were covered in lush forests that bustled with life and the sky was azure blue, with no traces of clouds visible anywhere.

Harry gasped at the beauty of the nature and he couldn't help exclaiming in awe: "So beautiful...!" But Harry stopped admiring the beauty of the nature when his ears picked up the laughter and bantering of a pair of sweet voices.

"Ready to lose again?"

"Ha! As if! Remember, who's the one with the biggest score?"

"You shouldn't be that smug. You're only with one win in front of me. I'll certainly defeat you this time as well!"

"Dream on, sister!"

From the woods, two girls came chatting merrily. When they came in Harry's line of sight, he tensed up but then...

"Don't worry, they can't see you." a gentle and kind voice was heard from behind him and Harry turned his head so abruptly that it was amazing he didn't snap his neck in the process.

There, in front of his eyes stood the most beautiful being Harry has ever seen. Her brilliant glossy brown hair fell in waves to her shoulders, her grey eyes sparkled like the silver under sunlight and the complexion of her face was flawless, with no blemishes. She had a very fit body, with muscular but very feminine at the same time arms and legs, her waist was thin and the fullness of her chest and hips areas gave her an hourglass figure.

She wore an open-faced golden helmet on her head, on her left hand there was a golden shield that had the head of a Gorgon on it and in her left hand she held a spear-like golden sceptre.

She was as beautiful as a goddess. But the beauty she exuded was not the type of beauty one would lust after. No, it was the type of pure and innocent beauty, the type of of beauty that one would feel inclined to worship.

"W-Who are you?" Harry asked barely finding his voice after starting at her in mute amazement for a few good seconds.

The woman - she seemed to be in her mid-twenties - smiled with indulcence at Harry's reaction and said:

"We'll talk about who am I later. For now just watch patiently...this is a memory...my memory. The brown haired girl you see in front of your eyes is the younger me."

At the woman's words, Harry turned his eyes towards the two girls who were now both positioned in a stance to battle. One of them looked just like the woman behind Harry, only younger. Unlike the calm smile her older counterparts had, the girl sported a confident smirk and a playful expression on her face.

The other girl was a black haired girl equally beautiful, but with sharper facial features and a slightly more robust body.

Both girls were dressed up in a light leathery armours and on their head they both wore bronze helmets. The black haired girl had in her hands a long trident-like spear and a long metallic net which she kept spinning above her head.

The girl with glossy brown hair had a round bronze shield on her left forearm and a short double-edged sword in her right.

The two girls looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity for Harry but then, the black haired girl broke the staring contest and leaped towards her opponent with a loud battle cry. She gripped her trident tightly and stabbed forward with all her might. The trident met the round bronze shield and the thundering noise that resonated from the clash made Harry feel as if his eardrums have been broken.

Harry was shocked to the core. What kind of strength was that?! No matter how he looked at the girls, to him they only looked like some girls in their late teens. Sure, they had athletic bodies, but no matter how strong someone is, they will never form such powerful shockwaves just from the clash of their weapons!

The black haired girl threw her metallic net hoping to ensnare her opponent, but the brown-haired girl flipped back, elegantly avoiding it.

At a first glance, because of the shorter range of her weapon of choice, the brown-haired girl seemed to be at a disadvantage. But that would be the case only for ordinary people...and Harry realized by now that the girls in front of him were anything but ordinary.

The girl with the shield bent her knees and brought her posture forward, while bringing the bronze shield to protect the lower part of her face and her torso.

"Haa!" she let a battle cry and kicked the ground hard, plunging forwards. The ground cracked under her feet and a 20 foot in diameter crater was formed.

By now Harry dropped all the pretense and was watching the fight with his mouth agape.

The brown-haired girl approached her opponent seemingly at the speed of the light and with her shield thrusting forward, she bashed the more robust black-haired girl at tens of feet into the distance.

The black-haired girl crashed painfully on the ground and groaned in annoyance as he lifted herself up...she didn't even have a scratch, or a bruise...nothing!

"Ughh, you said you won't use your divine strength, you lying bitch!"

"Aww, Pallas, come on, you know that I haven't used even a tenth of my real strength. Why are you always such a sore loser? ...And with that foul mouth of yours, there's no wonder my brother Apollo doesn't want to look at you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." the black haired girl, Pallas, grumbled still annoyed.

"Tell you what: if you manage to land a clean hit on me in the next 30 seconds, I swear on my name that I'll force Apollo to invite you to a dinner." the brown-haired girl said with a teasing laugh.

Pallas' eyes lit up at her friend's words and a smile appeared on her face. Without even saying a word of warning, she plunged towards the brown haired girl with the net above her head spinning at high velocity.

Her opponent batted the net away with a powerful sword strike, but then Pallas stuck her trident forward, towards the small gap in her opponent defence, at her liver.

The brown-haired girl realized her mistake and mentally prepared herself for the painful feeling that would come with her ribs being shattered and her liver pierced...but the pain never came: Pallas did a mistake too at the last moment, not estimating the range of her trident well, this way the tip of her weapon stopping at only an inch away from her opponent's body.

However, taking chance of the brown-haired girl's momentary confusion, Pallas abruptly pulled her trident back, scraping the bronze shield all the while. When the teeth of the trident reached the edge of the shield, they hooked behind it. Pallas pulled hard and the bronze shield was forcefully pulled off from her opponent's forearm.

Pallas immediately threw her net above the brown-haired girl's head and at the same time, she leaped towards her with a vicious glint in her eyes. The brown haired girl was flustered by how she had had her shield taken from her arm, but was startled even more at the face filled with killing intent of her friend. Pallas truly wanted to strike her down!

At that moment, a righteous anger filled the brown haired girl's entire being and she filled her sword with her divine power. Her sword cut through the metallic net like through tofu.

However, being in the heat of the battle and because of her lack of experience, the brown haired girl didn't notice the blade of raw energy her sword emitted when she slashed. That blade of energy continued its advance and not only it bisected the trident that Pallas held, it also cut through the girl's body as if it was nothing.

It was as if the time stood still for a second, everyone looking petrified at the scene. But then, blood splashed everywhere and Pallas' body was completely cut through from the middle. She died on the spot.

At the awfully familiar gory scene - Marcus Flint had also been ripped from the middle - Harry's heart started to beat wildly again. Just as he was about to fall to ground in unconsciousness, a strong yet gentle hand gripped his shoulder and he felt a soothing and refreshing energy filling his body.

When Harry turned his eyes towards the woman behind him, her silver-like eyes radiated so much compassion that he felt overwhelmed.

"Come, you have seen all that was beneficial for you to see." the woman said while the younger version of her from the memory broke down into tears at what she had done.

The woman closed her eyes and in an instant, she and Harry disappeared, only to reappear in a completely different location. It was rocky beach which was continuously assaulted by the seemingly angry waves of the sea. The sky looked like at the sunset, with a multitude of nuances of red and orange painting it and a soft and warm breeze was blowing.

The woman left her golden shield and sceptre on a nearby rock and took off her helmet, letting the warm and humid wind caress her glossy brown hair. She took a seat on one of the many rocks the littered the beach and beckoned Harry to do the same.

They both watched the sea in silence for a long while and even if Harry had an ocean of questions, he could not bring himself to voice them.

"I know you have many questions. At some of them I will answer to you, but at some of them I won't. Go ahead, ask me what you want to know." the woman told Harry with the same kind smile on her otherworldly beautiful face.

She just finished her words when Harry already jumped with a question: "Who are you?"

The woman's smile widened even more at Harry's curiosity and she said:

"I had once been a goddess, the Goddess of Wisdom, War, Crafts and Heroes. I have been given many attributes along the millennia, but these have been the most important. I was once known by the entire world as Athena Parthenos."

"A g-goddess?!" Harry asked stuttering. Had anyone else told him such a thing, he would have screamed "bullshit" right in their face. But the fight he had just witnessed, plus the majestic presence and beauty the woman in front of his eyes exuded made her words not as hard to believe as one would think.

Athena let a soft but sad sigh and said:

"That was the previous me. I'm not a goddess anymore. What you see now is just a shell of my former self."

Harry stood silent for a while, but then he asked the questions that plagued his mind from the beginning:

"Where are we?"

"We're in your mind."

"Then...everything I saw was not real? Are you not real as well? Was this all my imagination?"

"Just because something happens in your mind, that doesn't necessarily make it not real."

"Then...do you truly exist?"

The goddess tilted her head in thought before saying:

"That's a rather tricky question. And you wouldn't understand the answer if I gave you one... However, I have a question for you as well. What do you believe?"

"I...I don't know what to believe..." Harry confessed with his eyes avoiding her penetrating gaze. "But I would be happy if you were real." he said still not meeting her eyes.

Athena was not prepared to hear such words from him and she asked in surprise: "Why?"

Harry seemed to be troubled with finding the right words but he said eventually:

"Since you showed me that memory of yours, it means that you already know what...what I did... Ever since that night I had not rested properly at all. I'm plagueg by nightmares every night and every time I close my eyes I can see Flint's corpse looking at me."

"And...and to make matters even worse, I have just been discovered by someone that hates me. I wonder if there's still a point in living like that. Constantly being plagued with nightmares and spending the rest of my life in a hellish prison...I'd rather die than live like that."

"If this is just a dream in my mind, then I don't want it to end. I don't want to wake up. I want to stay here... I feel at peace in your presence. This is why I would be happy if you were real."

By the time Harry finished his words, tears already started to fall from his eyes. Until this incident, Harry had never known just how important it is for one to have a clean conscience, to be at peace with himself.

Sure, Harry has been stealing for years, but he didn't view that as being a bad thing. He did it in order to survive, to be able to live another day. Moreover, in Harry's mind it was also his victims' fault when they had their stuff stolen: if they had guarded their possessions properly, he wouldn't have been able to steal them - at least this was Harry's process of thought, as twisted as it may have been.

Bottom line, it was the first time Harry felt his conscience being so dirty, and it was the first time he killed someone. Furthermore, he was just 11 years old. In fact, having a more mature mind only made him realize the gravity of his deed even more and that, coupled with his emotions which were those of an ordinary eleven years old child, made his anguish even more painful.

But while Harry cried looking at the agitated sea, two gentle arms encircled his body and brought him into a warm embrace. Athena hugged Harry's small frame and pressed him into her bosom.

"It's alright to cry, my child. Let it all out, don't let your pain bottle up."

And Harry did just that. It was a wonder for him just how nice it felt to have someone hug him lovingly when his heart was so disturbed. Until then no-one has cared about him enough to give him a hug and he has never been consoled before when he felt sad.

"It's good that you realize the significance of your mistake. It's good to feel sorry and to feel ashamed of what you've done. And it's also good that you feel responsible for it and that you're not trying to throw the blame onto another, even if they share a part of it." Athena told Harry after he calmed down. She was holding his head in her lap, gently caressing his unruly hair.

"However, just as important as these, is also to not let it overwhelm you. Be sorry, be ashamed and take responsibility for your deeds. But don't let their weight crush your heart and don't let your mind be drowned by despair. Steel your resolve to never do it again and then brace your heart and mind to make amends. You will not be able to bring that boy back to life, but you can offer life to those who need it."

"What do you mean by that?" Harry lifted himself in a seating position and asked.

"Offering life as in giving hope. Be the light for those overwhelmed by despair and lend a helping hand to those who need it. This is the only way you can pay for your sins and make peace with yourself. I'm telling you this from my own experience. Pallas had been my best friend...we spent most of our time together sparring and bickering just like normal friends do, even if we were deities. And when I killed her by mistake, you can imagine how heavy my feelings of sorrow and remorse were."

"To make amends for my mistake, I took her name for myself and I have been known as Pallas Athena ever since. Furthermore, I did just what I told you to do: I became the patron goddess of heroes, lending them a helping hand and instructing them along the trials they had had to face in their lives. I didn't only look out for them, I also bestowed my gifts to the mortals, offering them wit and wisdom to survive, to evolve. I offered them knowledge. This how I made up for my sin and made peace with myself."

Harry engraved Athena's words in his heart but his face made a complicated expression. He was inherently a very selfish person and he was even somewhat proud of being like that. He never cared about anyone and he didn't want to get involved with anyone - that's how he has been living ever since he ran away from the orphanage. It was his way of life...changing his principles and values was not something he could accomplish in a short while.

Athena lifted herself up to her feet and told Harry:

"I'm afraid our time together is up."

"Why?! Where are you going?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Don't worry, child, I am always with you. As long as you believe I exist, as long as you place your faith in me, I will never leave you."

"My faith...?"

"Yes. I only appeared in front of you today because of your faith. You have long since started to consider the stone pendant a very important part of yourself, your most precious possession. Because of that you subconsciously started to rely on it, placing your trust in it to save you in all the dire situations you've experienced ever since you got it.."

"You mean, that you reside in my Gorgoneion?" Harry nearly shouted in joy. He had been right! The pendant truly was not just an ordinary magical aritfact! His hope that it was sentient had not been in vain.

Athena smiled at the joy in Harry's voice and nodded at him. She only ruffled his hair one more time before everything went black for Harry again.

* * *

 **AN:** Don't expect Harry to become a saint. He doesn't have the mentality of a goddess. He's a selfish bastard, he admits it himself and it's to the extent that he's even proud of it.


	7. Chapter 7 - Troll

AN:

"Hello" – normal talk

'Hello' – thoughts.

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - Troll**

It was Wednesday – two days after Harry's encounter with his precious Gorgoneion's resident – and Harry was currently seated on his bed in a meditation posture with his legs crossed and with his hands on his knees. In front of him, on the bedsheets, three letters have been opened and put in an orderly fashion.

Harry's eyes were closed and he seemed like he was meditating. It almost looked like a peaceful aura was swirling around him and-

"Aargh, fuck this shit!" Harry suddenly yelled and jumped up from the bed.

He took one of the letters and ripped it in 10 pieces, throwing them into the air before taking the other two and throwing them to the floor.

"Useless-! Piece-! Of crap-!"

Harry continued to yell, each of his words being marked by an angry stomp of his feet on the letters.

In the meantime the door of his room opened and Harry robotically turned his head towards it. There, with his jaw almost hitting the floor, his roommate, Blaise Zabini was watching him in disbelief.

"I- errr... I-I'll come back later. You...you do your thing there." the dark-skinned boy somehow managed to croak out some words before slamming the door shut and running away.

As if nothing has even happened at all, Harry calmly picked up the two now tattered letters from the floor and took a seat at the edge of his bed. He sat there calmly, not moving for a few seconds before a dark red blush spread on his face. He quickly buried his face in the pillow and let out a shout of frustration and embarrassment.

 _'Why did he have to come right then?! Argh..'_ Harry moaned pitifully.

He didn't really care what others thought about him normally, but what he did really was too embarrassing. Imagine entering a room only to stumble upon your roommate crazily stomping some letters all the while yelling like a mad man...

It took a while for Harry to regain his composure, but when he did, he sighed in frustration. The letters he was previously stomping with his feet have been sent by his account manager who was informing him that his transactions had been successfully completed.

The thing is that after hearing Athena's advice, Harry decided to give it a try...therefore he tried during the following days to help the people around him: he helped two Hufflepuff first years reach the Great Hall (yes, even after two months of school there still were some people that got lost), and he even stopped spitting on the railings of the stairs – yes, it used to be a source of great amusement for Harry to watch students getting grossed out when their hands touched the disgusting spit. It was even funnier when it was a teacher that happened to do it. Remembering those incidents Harry's face involuntarily broke into a shit-eating grin and he nearly guffawed.

Moreover, besides that, Harry had also beaten up Draco, Crabbe and Goyle to a pulp yesterday, finally releasing his pent up anger...What? That was also a very good deed in Harry's opinion, something he should be praised for. It was not an exaggeration to say that probably 90% of the student body at Hogwarts found the little prick insufferable. Now, the three Slytherins were in the infirmary where they have been brought by Filch, the caretaker, after he had found them laying on a corridor in a mess of their vomit and blood. They were bound to stay in the hospital for at least a week

However, Harry realized that his good deeds may not be enough so, with his heart crying tears of blood, he decided to donate some money to those that "needed hope"...5 Galleons to St. Mungo, 5 Galleons to Ministry of Magic for the Werewolves' Rights program and 5 Galleons to the Charity for Muggleborn Wizards and Witches (a newly founded organization with the purpose of helping Muggleborns integrate more easily in the Wizarding World).

When the House Elves that delivered the mail (since owls couldn't possibly get into the dungeons) gave Harry the letters with the confirmation of the transfer of money, Harry expected to feel some sort of a bubbly feeling warm up his chest or...something...something to make him happy or at least satisfied...But he sill felt like crap when thinking about the incident from a little more than a week ago. And what pained his heart even more was the money he had wasted.

"15 Galleons! That equals £75! I just wasted £75 for nothing!" Harry moaned pitifully.

...The miser! His trust vault at Gringotts had around 60,000 or 70,000 Galleons, while the main vault probably had over 1 million Galleons which were slowly but steadily increasing every year because of the various investments. Basically, converted into Muggle money Harry had a total fortune of roughly £5,000,000 (Harry was still not used to the Wizarding currency, always using the GBP as reference). Five million pounds would allow anyone to live with no care in the world for the rest of their lives...yet he was so stingy!

While Harry was lamenting at the loss of that money, a knock was heard again from the door. A brown-haired first year boy opened the door rather nervously and gave Harry a small note.

"Dumbledore wants to see you as soon as possible. Here is his note."

And with that, the boy almost sprinted out of Harry's room. It was Theodore Nott, Draco's roommate. Considering that, his behaviour was understandable...he was one of the first people to see both times just how badly Harry had beaten up Malfoy and his little gang. And he knew that he only had to make one wrong step he'd be the next in line to be wrecked. After all, he has always been one of the ones that laughed the loudest when Draco shot snarky comments at Harry in the past. But Harry didn't pay Nott any attention. Instead, he mumbled grumpily while he read the note in which Dumbledore told him to meet him in the headmaster's office and the password.

 _Scene break_

Seeing Dumbledore's office for the first time, Harry was admittedly in awe. What amazed him the most though, was the swan-sized fiery red bird that sat perched near the old wizard. His first instinct was to try and touch it, but the glare the bird directed at him when it realized his intention convinced him otherwise. For some reason the bird didn't seem to like him very much and he briefly wondered why...

"Did you want to see me, headmaster?"

"Yes, my boy, I did. I wanted to check up on you to see how are you."

"..."

At Harry's silence, Dumbledore continued:

"Of course, given the unfortunate incident you had the misfortune to witness, I-"

"Why have you called me here, sir?" Harry asked Dumbledore, cutting him off.

Dumbledore examined Harry with a calculative look in his eyes, and Harry involuntarily grew tense.

 _'Does he know something? Has that bitch snitched on me? ...but even so, there should be no proof...shit...shit, what do I do...?'_ Harry thought while his anxiety level soared.

But a pulse of magic from the Gorgoneion went to his brain, and he regained his composure, his face morphing into an expression of apathy.

"Witnessing someone being killed in such a brutal manner is not something anyone can easily bear with." Dumbledore said slowly as he interlocked his fingers and leaned his bearded chin on them. "I wanted to see how are you coping with it. Since I was the one who convinced you to attend Hogwarts, I think it is my responsibility to see whether you're fine or not."

But Harry didn't say anything in return. Oh, there were many things he wanted to say, Harry had a belly full of anger and frustration at Dumbledore since he had killed Flint by mistake...a mistake which would have not been made had there been no gigantic three-headed monster. Fortunately, Athena's presence and her reasoning helped Harry understand that it was not end of the world that he killed someone, especially since he didn't want to do it - and because of that Harty regained some of his composure back; he was still feeling down, but he was at least not bothered by nightmares anymore.

Anyway, it it were him from 3 months ago Harry would have not hold back from screaming at him in the least...after all who in the world brings a Cerberus into a school full of children?! Harry's heart was filled with frustration and ager at the old wizard in front of him. But now Harry understood that people like Dumbledore were too high up in the sky for him to be able to reach them with his current ability. Starting to scream at the headmaster of the school would not do him any good - therefore Harry forced himself to stay calm, only shoting a venomous glare at him. To Harry's hidden satisfaction Dumbledore understood his feelings after seeing the murderous look he had thrown at him.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few good seconds before Dumbledore broke it:

"Also, there is another problem I wanted to discuss with you... You see," Dumbledore continued "although you made sure to not have any witnesses both times, I can say that I'm 98% sure that it was you the one who brutally beat up Mr. Malfoy and his two friends."

"That's merely your opinion, sir. I'm willing to bear the consequences of everything I'm suspected of if you'll manage to find any proofs." Harry said stiffly while starting to get even angrier at the old wizard's words.

"Oh but there's no need to hide behind our fingers here, Harry. At first I didn't think someone of your age and size would be capable of inflicting such damage on the poor boys, but when it happened the second time, I was sure the culprit had to be a muggleborn or someone raised by Muggles. You see, Harry, most wizards and witches are afraid of physical effort. There have been countless spells devised especially for this – to reduce the effort one would normally have to put into accomplishing a certain task. A wizard would never choose to beat up someone using his physical strength when it is so much easier to do it using magic."

"Furthermore, it is not a secret for anyone that you and most of your house don't really get along. There is also the fact that if there is someone capable of doing something like that, then it's probably you...someone who lived amongst London's delinquents. I underestimated you initially...I never thought an eleven years old boy would be capable of something like this. You really surprised me this time."

Dumbledore leaned forward on the desk and his eyes narrowed at Harry as he said in a deep and stern voice:

"I'm warning you, Harry. I'm going to let is slide this time. However, one more deed like this and I'll-"

"You'll do what?" Harry finally lost his control and spat angrily. "Give me a detention? Dock points? Expel me? Do I look like I fucking care?"

"Listen up, Harry!" Dumbledore raised his voice, but Harry was having none of it.

"NO, YOU FUCKING LISTEN UP!"

"You pretty much coerced me into attending this shithole and bullshited me with things like Hogwarts being the greatest magical school in the world and so on...And I came at Hogwarts! For fucking what? To listen the drabble of a ghost or a stuttering idiot? Or to have a snot-nosed piece of shit acting as if he was lording over me? Or to almost get mauled by a monster?"

"Which one of these things makes you think I give damn about whatever punishment you're going to give me?"

By the time he finished his rant, Harry wad standing up to his feet and breathing heavily as he glared at Dumbledore. In his anger, his magic flared and various objects around the office started to float menacingly as if they were about to be hurled forwards towards the old man.

"I'm only saying this once: I don't care about being at Hogwarts or not. So far this school was useless to me and I even almost died once. So you either keep those bastards in check or I'll break them...Don't be fooled by my age, old man. I'm perfectly aware that you have some sort of secret agenda regarding me." Harry said making Dumbledore's eyes widen in surprise.

"I didn't walk London's streets fearlessly amongst the various gangs if I were a meek pussy that you could manipulate as you wanted. I'm no-one's bitch! Nobody walk over me, ya hear me?" Harry screamed at him in rage and slammed both of his hands on the desk, creating cracks where they landed.

"Fucking no-one gets to treat me like those piece of shit did." Harry said this time with his voice subsiding and taking a cold tone. "I see that you're very preoccupied about those shitstains' well-being. You seem to don't give a fuck about the many Muggleborn or half-blood students they keep bullying everyday... well guess what, motherfucker: I don't give a damn whether I'll be expelled or not!"

"And the bull you told me about having my memories wiped for not attending Hogwarts? I'd like to see you or anyone try it. I'm perfectly aware now that apart from Hogwarts there are 10 other major magical schools. No-one forces me to stay here in this shithole...I'm only going to say it once: let those retards come at me again and I'll fucking destroy them."

There was a deathly silence after Harry stopped talking. No-one breathed a sound, not even the phoenix while the portraits hanging on the walls also stood still and watched the unfolding scene in stupor. When had a student ever used such a foul language and such a disrespectful attitude against the headmaster of Hogwarts?! It was inconceivable for the previous headmasters and headmistress.

Meanwhile Dumbledore's mind was in disarray. He had seriously misjudged and underestimated the boy in front of him. Even from this frail age, he already had such powerful feelings of anger and he was so vindictive. Where did that intensity come from? What has Harry experienced before coming at Hogwarts that gave him that hate and anger? In that moment in Dumbledore's eyes the young Tom Riddle's face overlapped with Harry's and the old wizard nearly went for his wand.

 _'Will it really possible for me to ever change this boy in front of me?' Dumbledore asked himself dejectedly. 'Will the day come when I'll actually be forced to kill him in order to prevent a new Dark Lord from rising to power? ...Should I actually do it now and eliminate a future threat...?'_

Dumbledore was normally a gentle and caring person. Everyone considered him to be like that and they were right. Dumbledore turly was like that, it was not just a front. He had always cared about the people around him and he would always look at the hidden qualities of an individual. Because of his indulgent attitude towards even the Death Eaters, not few were the ones that considered him to be a naive fool despite his genius in the various fields of magic.

Bottom line, Dumbledore has never before contemplated killing a child. But there's a saying - the one who was bitten by a snake would jump in fright even at the mere sight of a green lizard. Dumbledore had taken Tom Riddle's choice of becoming a Dark Lord as one of the greatest failures of his life. And now, seeing a boy like a twin brother of the one who had one day become one of the most feared Dark Lords in history, greatly unnerved him.

Harry and Voldemort had so many common traits - too many for Dumbledore's comfort: both orphaned, both growing up relying on themselves, both of them not having any real friends and both of them harbouring a desire to be special, to be powerful. They both had a frightening control over their magic and neither of them shyed away from breaking rules and taking matters into their hands. What alarmed Dumbledore even more was that even Tom Riddle hadn't shown signs of having such a vindictive personality like Harry did when he was of his age - the extent to which Tom Riddle went was to scare of just hurt a bit the ones he hated, but he has not went to extent to which Harry went when getting revenge. The beating Draco, Crabbe and Goyle received could only be described with the words 'brutal' and 'savage'. Moreover, Harry was the most gifted person when it came to controlling magic that he has ever seen - yes, a level above even Voldemort or him, Dumbledore, himself...

The two continued to keep silent for a few tense minutes, only staring at each other as if there was a contest ongoing between them. And although Harry didn't know Dumbledore's dangerous thoughts regarding him, he noticed how the air around him started to feel heavy and the pressure the old man began to exude was almost suffocating him...It was the first time Harry has ever experienced such a powerful killing intent! Sure, he had been in a few dangerous situations before, but he has never felt this helpless.

He knew that in that moment he was powerless in front of Dumbledore's might and a feeling of unwillingness was born in his heart. He hated being weak! He hated being suppressed! Just as he had just said, Harry has never allowed anyone to walk over him: he had this pride, that he has always gotten on top no matter who he had had to face. Even the incident when that insufferable girl immobilized him, Harry didn't considered it legit – had he been in his right mind, Harry was confident that he would been able to best her.

But it was already the second time now when Dumbledore rendered him helpless, it was the second time Dumbledore showed Harry that he was just like the frog in a well who didn't know just how big the sea is and how strong are the other fishes in it. Harry realized once again that he was nothing special, that he was no snowflake - he wasn't the only one with magical powers, he was not special. And what made Harry even more frustrated was that against of most of those like him, he would be helpless. Probably anyone above the fourth year would beat him senseless in a direct face-off.

Harry was filled with resentment and unwillingness to accept this truth, but he couldn't ignore these facts either. He clenched his fists tightly and swore in his heart that if he managed to get away unscathed this time, he would never allow himself to feel this helpless again. He would never feel weak again! He would never bend in front of someone's power anymore. He swore that he would made anyone that went against him grovel in front of him.

To Harry's relief, after a short while Dumbledore got a hold of himself and calmed down. The suffocating pressure that he previously exuded dissipated and he rubbed his eyes tiredly before saying as if he was admitting defeat:

"I will make sure they will not bother you anymore... However, that will depend on the next headmaster."

Harry was at a loss of words for the moment, but then he said startled:

"You mean that you will..."

"Yes, unfortunately the Minister of Magic and those that have run the investigation regarding Mr. Flint unfortunate death have seen fit to remove me from my position. Apparently I am too old to be able to efficiently lead this school anymore. But who can't blame them? Even I think that they may be right.."

Dumbledore let out a tired sigh and in that moment the sight of the exhausted and defeated old man quelled Harry's previous feelings of fear and anger. Even someone relatively new to the Wizarding World like Harry understood just how bad things were when someone of Dumbledore's status messed up like that. Because the Daily Prophet didn't lose the chance to remember everyone that nearly 50 years ago there was another case where a girl was killed inside the school by a magical creature. Yet the headmaster at that time, Armando Dippet, was not the one to suffer the blame. Sure, the circumstances were different, but the fact that Dumbledore's case has been clearly inflated was obvious.

"I have a proposal for you, Harry." Dumbledore said after a long moment of pondering. "It is not necessary for you to give me an answer right now, I'll give you a week to think about it. Don't rush into answering me right away, take your time and think about it thoroughly. Many things depend on the answer you will give me. That being said..."

Dumbledore's expression was severe and the look in his eyes was as sharp as dagger while he asked:

"...would you want me to become your legal guardian?"

 _Scene break_

"I was not sure before but now I'm certain. There has to be something wrong with that old fart's brain! ...but it doesn't matter...act high and mighty for as long as you can, old man. It will not be long before I'll settle things with you as well..." Harry muttered darkly to himself as he ate his dinner in the Great Hall along with the rest of the students at Hogwarts.

"What are you grumbling there to yourself?" *slam*

Harry chocked with his food and started coughing as if he was about to die.

 _"Anapneo!"_ the voice of a girl was heard and Harry's airway cleared at once.

"Oy, you shitty bastard, what if I died? Do you want me to break your teeth?" Harry shouted angrily as he grabbed the collar of the one who slapped his back while he was eating.

"My, my, he's so scaaary. Gwen, please help!"

Said girl only smirked at him indifferently and the boy suddenly found himself into headlock while a punch started to rub painfully the top of his head.

"Ow, ow, ow, let go of me!" Danforth yelled all the while tapping Harry's arm repeatedly like wrestlers do when they surrender. "Gwen, you traitor, he's really going to kill me! Ow! Oy stop it!"

Harry bumped the older boy's head one more time before letting him go an returning to his meal. Based on how quickly Harry's anger subsided, it was obvious that the previous scene happened so many times that he didn't even have the energy to stay angry at the dark-skinned boy anymore.

The duo that came to Harry and annoyed him at every meal, were obviously the third year students Gwyneth Ashwood and Danforth Martlesham. It was like they have made it their personal mission to make Harry lose his shit and annoy him every day.

"You bloody barbarian, violence is not the way a gentleman should solve his problems!" Dan said in indignation as he rubbed his now sore scalp.

"..Does he look like a gentleman to you?" Gwen asked as she shook her head towards Harry who was doing his best to ignore them while he was stuffing his entire face with food. He was eating with such speed and gusto that it reminded them of those stray dogs which ate until they vomited after being starved.

But at Gwen's words Harry suddenly gripped his fork so hard that it bended from the middle.

"Uhh, I think you made him angry, Gwen."

"You think so?"

"Un." Dan nodded. "Look, the fork was bended just by his fingers alone."

"Merlin! You're right! Uaa he's really scary!" Gwen said as well and she hid behind Dan all the while acting as if she was shaking in fear.

"Alright just cut it of already damnit!" Harry yelled finally getting exasperated with their act and slammed his hands on the table, causing a clatter of china and spoons.

To Harry's further annoyance, not only the troublesome duo burst into laughter, even the nearby students' faces cracked into large grins.

But Gwen and Dan both nonchalantly took a seat at Harry's side. Harry looked at them suspiciously for a moment, but when he saw them not doing anything, he returned to his meal. Had he paid them a little more attention, Harry would have seen how their eyes twinkled with laughter...Dan suddenly took Harry by surprise and locked his arm around his neck, while Gwen started pocking at his ribs with her wand.

"Gah, bastard, let go of me. You too Gwyneth, I swear I'll throw you in the Black Lake."

The two continued to torture Harry for a few more minutes before letting him go. When they finished with him, he looked eerily similar to an irate owl whose feathers have been ruffled. He was not even in the mood to enjoy his food anymore.

"Hey, Harry-"

"WHAT?" he asked heatedly in return and Dan's face involuntarily broke into a grin.

At the sight of the annoyed Harry, Gwen couldn't help but coo. She cupped his face into her hands an started to pinch his cheeks as if he was a baby.

"You're sooo lucky Harry, I wish I were the one Gwen got to-" Dan began to say but didn't get to finish - Harry's patience was at its limit. Had it been anyone else, he would have longs since beaten the crap out of them, but for some reason he could simply not stay angry at them. The fact the two of them were aware of this only made them even more annoying. Although Harry was outwardly showing annoyance, he was secretly happy with the attention the two gave him everyday. It felt nice to know that while the rest of his house treated him coldly, there still were a few persons that seemed to like him...even if they were annoying as hell sometimes.

 _'Petrificus Totalus!'_ Harry chanted in his mind while he touched the two "bastards" besides him. Gwen and Dan's hands were snapped to their bodies and they fell to the floor stiffly as if they were wooden logs.

Normally, using spells outside the classrooms led to points being docked from students or even being given detentions. But the three of them bickered like that every single day and every time a teacher came to make some order, despite their annoyance at each other, the three of them stuck together, everyone of them saying that they were just fooling around. Moreover, Harry has never used his wand when he cursed them so the teachers had no real proof against him when he pegged his magic as being just and accidental bout. After a while it became as clear as the day that that wasn't the case... but by the time the teachers have realized that, they have already grown accustomed to the sight.

It was weird for the teachers to not act against them but the fact that Dan was the actual Minister of Magic's son – and a very popular one at that – probably had the most say in the teachers' indulgence. The fact that Gwen, Dan and Harry also had some of the best marks in their years didn't hurt either..

Just as Harry returned to his dinner believing that he'd finally have some peace and quiet, the doors of the Great Hall opened up with a loud bang and the newcomer screamed at the top of his lungs:

"Troll! Troll in the dungeons!"

* * *

AN:

(Not proofread by anyone except for me. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)


	8. Chapter 8 - The Pact, The Hero

AN:

"Hello" – normal talk

' _Hello' –_ thoughts

(Many thanks to TheUdonAddict who proofread this chapter!)

* * *

 **Chapter 8 - The Pact. The Hero**

"Troll! Troll in the dungeons – thought you ought to know." the newcomer yelled at the top of his lungs. With his large turban wrapped around his head, a pungent stench of garlic and a cowardly face filled with terror, the newcomer could not be anyone else but the teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts, Quirrell. At Professor Quirrell's scream nobody moved; there was a deathly silence. But when he fainted on the floor in a dramatic manner, as if they had been woken up from a deep slumber all the students began to scream in panic and began to dash madly towards the exit of the Great Hall.

*Boom!*

A deafening explosion was heard from the professors' table and everyone stopped in their tracks as if they had been paralyzed.

"Prefects," Dumbledore said with a raised voice, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Each of the prefects began to organize the students in their House in order to depart, but just as they were about to leave the Great Hall, Harry finally erupted, his voice being heard over all of the other noises in the hall.

"The troll IS IN THE DUNGEONS! You want to gets us all killed?" Harry bellowed.

At Harry's shout everyone stopped in their tracks and another deathly silence was in place. But they realized the meaning of Harry's words – the fact that the troll was in the dungeons meant that on their way to their dormitories, Hufflepuffs and Slytherins would be in danger of being attacked by the troll. After all, Hufflepuffs' and Slytherins' dormitories were located in the dungeons. (1)

Several hundred pairs of angry eyes started to throw deadly glares at Dumbledore and even he, despite his might, couldn't help but flinch. He realized that he had been truly inconsiderate, he had nearly put in danger the life of so many students once again.

' _Maybe I really am not fit to lead this school anymore.'_ Dumbledore thought as he let out a sorrowful sigh.

But the awkwardness that filled the air after Harry's shout was so thick that it could be cut it with a knife. To salvage the situation Minerva McGonagall said in her usual stern voice:

"40 points to Slytherin for Mr. Potter's timely and astute observation. It is rather embarrassing but it is also reassuring for us grown-up wizards and witches that we have been admonished by such a young student."

"Professor McGonagall is right." Dumbledore confirmed her words as well, as if he didn't just nearly send a few hundred students to their potential death.

' _He truly is thick-skinned.'_ Harry thought with his anger rising at the old wizard's apparently nonchalant behaviour.

"Cough…That being said, I ask of you to calmly wait here in the Great Hall while we, the professors, will eliminate the threat."

While Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick and Snape left the Great Hall in order to kill the troll, the students were asked to go back to their seats and continue to eat. But who in the world would actually have an appetite with the troll's threat looming over their heads? Furthermore, it was not even two weeks since someone actually died being mauled by a monster.

"He really is scary…" Gwen said while looking at Harry, but this time it didn't look like she was joking. She was being honest.

The reason for Gwen's words was that while everyone felt a lump in their throats because of the fear they felt, Harry was stuffing himself with food as is if there was no tomorrow! When Gwen turned her eyes towards Dan, her childhood friend, in order to seek his confirmation she got a headache just by looking at his face's expression. Dan was grinning like a loon and he had stars in his eyes.

' _This is bad!'_ Gwen thought as she sensed a foreboding feeling. She and Dan had spent so much time together along the years that you could say that she knew him better than she knew her own family. And it went both ways, Dan knew her that well as well. But that's beside the point. The problem was that Gwen knew that every time Dan made that star-struck expression, he was either thinking about something perverted – much to her ire he was a real player – or he was about to do something stupid. And considering their current situation it was most likely the latter.

"Harry, Harry, Harry, have you ever seen a troll before?" Dan asked, reminiscent of an annoying 5 year old child while tugging at the hem of Harry's clothes.

At Dan's question, Harry choked on his food and started to desperately beat his chest with his fist to clear his airways.

"No, seriously, are you really _that_ stupid?!" Harry asked in disbelief after he regained his bearings. Even a stranger would be able to get the hidden meaning behind Dan's question.

"Aww, c'mon Harry, where's your sense of adventure, where is your youth? Youth is all about doing stupid things and having fun. If you're always going to be that broody and act as if there's something stuck high up in your arse, what memories will you have to laugh at when you grow old?" Dan asked pouting.

"Creepy. Stop. Don't do that! Girls look cute when they pout, but you're just plain creepy!" Harry said while pointing a fork at him as if to make Dan keep the distance. Dan's pout only intensified.

"Gaah! Will you just stop being so oblivious?!" Gwen yelled at the two of them exasperated. "A troll is running amok through the school yet you..!"

"And your point is?" Harry asked uncaringly.

A vein on Gwen's forehead began to throb dangerously.

"I have read that wizards have subdued even dragons which are said to be immune to most of the spells. They are ranked as being in top 3 most dangerous magical creatures alongside Nundu and Basilisks. That being said a mere troll should not pose too much of a threat to the one who defeated the Dark Lord Grindelwald, right?" Harry elaborated.

Gwen appeared to be stumped for a while and she looked at Harry with a blank face.

"That actually makes a lot of sense..." she mumbled "Since when did you get that smart?"

Harry couldn't help himself: he flicked Gwen's forehead as hard as he could.

"You're the worst! A delinquent, a brute!" Dan immediately jumped out dramatically from his seat to 'defend' Gwen from Harry's 'brutality'. "A lady should not be touched even with a flower, yet you-"

"Yeah, yeah, ranting again about me not being a gentleman yada, yada…" Harry said dismissively and gestured with his hand in a manner that showed clearly that he couldn't care less. When another poke at his ribs made him nearly choke again on the food – he was really getting annoyed at this continuously happening – Harry glared at he culprit (Gwen) with his eyes narrowed.

"One more time, Gwen, just one more time and I swear I'll-"

But he didn't even get to finish his threat when Gwen's wand poked his sides again.

"Aargh! That's it!" Harry yelled and with a swipe of his hand he tried to touch Gwen in order to paralyze her. But Gwen has had her guard up and before Harry's hand reached her, she whispered:

" _Protego!"_

It was not a well-casted Shielding Charm and it was clear that Gwen still had a long way until she mastered it – it was after all a spell that even most 4th year students had difficulties with, while she was just a 3rd year. But even with her current ability, the Shielding Charm she casted was just enough to stop Harry's hand from advancing any further.

"Harry-"

"What!" Harry asked Dan hotly "You want to lay on the floor as well?"

"N-No, no!" Dan shook his head negatively while raising his hands in the air. He let a small chuckle before his face turned excited again.

"Now, seriously, Harry, do you really not feel any curiosity at all? Don't you want to see how a troll looks up close? I mean," Dan said while putting his arm around Harry's shoulders and with his face gaining a heroic look, "imagine how all the babes will look at us when we tell them how we defeated a troll! They'll venerate us...we'll be like the twin Princes of Hogwarts! They'll fight amongst themselves for just an autograph and everyone will dream about going out with us...we could even make our own harems!"

"So that was your hidden intention all along, huh? Disgusting pervert. Please kill yourself!" Harry said in a condescending tone and Gwen's overall impression of him went up a notch.

"..Shall we do it?" Harry asked Dan right afterwards making Gwen nearly fall off of her chair.

Both Dan and Harry burst into laughter and that only increased Gwen's anger. She clenched the table with her hands so hard that her you could see the white of her knuckles and Harry was afraid that cracks would appear in the wood if she tightened her grip any more. When she looked at Harry she nearly let out a very unladylike growl when she saw his green eyes twinkling with mischief and the smug expression on his face.

' _That little rascal! He was messing with me!'_ Gwen inwardly screamed.

"Meh, jokes aside, I could care less about whether the girls like me or not," Harry said while taking Dan's hand off from around his shoulder. "Staying alive and in one piece is much more important than having something to brag about in front of girls." Harry finished and Dan glared at him in such a way that one would think what Harry had just said was a blasphemy.

". . ."

"What kind of men don't like women?!" Dan nearly yelled at him.

"I could very well be gay, you know?"

"Oh, shut it! If you were gay you wouldn't mind the touch of such handsome guy like me!" Dan said in a matter of fact kind of voice.

At Dan's words Harry made a disgusted face and moved two seats farther away from him eliciting a laugh from Gwen who never missed a chance to make fun of Dan.

While Harry and the third year duo were bickering back and forth, the nearby students were looking at them like the group was a bunch of lunatics. No, better said would be that almost half the students in the Great Hall were watching them while thinking, _'Do these guys have no sense of self-preservation? Do they have no sense of fear at all?!'_

"At any rate, I'm not going to fucking go anywhere close to the troll and that's final. So stop bitching, will ya?"

With that, Harry drank one more glass of pumpkin juice and rested his head on the table with the intent to take a nap. The Gorgoneion placed such a strain on Harry's brain that any additional moment of sleep was always welcomed by him. Seeing Harry's actions, Dan could only sigh disappointedly and admit defeat. He had tried all of his techniques to convince Harry: begging him, tempting him with girls, annoying him, and even provoking him. In the end, Harry was unmoved from his decision.

"It can't be helped then...I'll just go by myself." Dan sighed and made to stand up and leave.

Harry couldn't help himself and caught Dan by his sleeve.

"Now really? What are you going to do by yourself against a troll? Are you tired of living?"

"C'mon stop exaggerating like that. Trolls are...trolls! They so dumb that we even named the worst grade one can take after them." Dan said smirking at his own "clever" joke and throwing a glance at Harry that looked as if he was saying _'Aren't I brilliant? Now praise me, mortal peon!'_

"Danny has a point though." Gwen said. "Trolls are only considered semi-sentient. Besides being very stupid, they're also very slow. I don't think an experienced witch or wizard would have a real problem in dealing with them."

Harry began to feel the start of headache. He couldn't believe that of all the people, it was him who had to be the voice of reason! Fortunately, Gwen continued when Dan's grin got larger:

"But as I said, it would be easy for an _experienced_ witch or wizard. Experienced, you hear that, dumbass? Third year students like us would not stand a chance. We'd most likely get killed."

"Argh, fine then! I'll go by myself! Cowards!"

"And how are you going to leave the Great Hall unnoticed?" Gwen asked.

"Just sit back and watch." said Dan before he got down under the table. Then he lifted his wand and rotated it above his head. Before long, Dan's figure became almost invisible - he was like a human chameleon!

While being under the Disillusionment Spell, Dan grabbed 3 dung bombs from one of his pockets and after casting the Disillusionment Charm on each of them as well, he levitated them in the middle of the Great Hall. Then he dropped his payload.

Suddenly, a stench so horrible that it withered the bread was spread throughout the entirety of the hall, causing everyone to begin to swear and scream at the one who had thrown the bombs. Unfortunately for them no-one saw the bombs because of them being invisible and not even those close to the trio knew that it was Dan. They could only swear helplessly, not even having someone to vent their anger on. It was frustrating.

Because of the horrible stench, even the remaining professors could do nothing but leave the Great Hall. In the end, all the students were crowded into the Entrance Hall and the remaining professors (the Astronomy teacher, the Ancient Runes teacher et cetera) tried their hardest to organize the situation and make sure no-one ran away. Unfortunately, during those moments of chaos, while still under the Disillusionment Charm's effect, Dan slipped away completely unnoticed by everyone except for one person.

"Harry, that idiot really went in search of the troll by himself!" Gwen told Harry and a feeling of great urgency could be heard in her voice.

But Harry didn't reply right away. He was having mixed feelings about the situation and he was not sure what to do. After all it hadn't even been two weeks since he witnessed someone being eaten alive by a Cerberus. It was understandable that he was truly afraid of meeting another fierce magical creature.

On one hand, Harry was terrified at the thought of bumping into the troll, but on the other hand, he didn't want to leave Dan like that.

' _But...that moron really is too much!'_ Harry thought as he felt the urge to tear off his own hair. _'Why did he have to go by himself...does he have a death wish?!'_

After Harry ran away from the orphanage he lived a not so pleasant life. On the streets being nice and kind to strangers was a sign of weakness. One had to be decisive in his actions and had to firmly stand his ground; if one showed too much sympathy towards anyone, he would end up being taken advantage of. Of course, Harry hadn't been some sort of gang leader or anything like that. But that was the mentality everyone needed to have in order to have a more bearable life. It had been very hard for Harry for the first few months to adapt to the environment, but in the end Harry's character did become like that of most of the gangsters roaming London's streets: selfish to the core, with no respect for authorities and with little to no moral values. At least in Harry's opinion, except for killing and rape, everything was ok: beating up someone, cursing, stealing, lying...these things had been a part of his life for three years.

And now, Harry was faced with a dilemma: should he go against his way of life and help Dan? Was it worth it to potentially risk his life in order to get the idiot back to safety? His first answer was immediately _'Hell No!'._ But then he looked back at the two months since he came to Hogwarts: his entire House had always treated him coldly, most of them barely exchanging any greetings with him when they passed by each other in the morning. He was like the black sheep, an outcast. And it was probably only his brutal actions against Draco, Crabbe and Goyle that made others do their best to not bully him anymore. After all, regardless of their age, Harry's recklessness gave them the chills. Given how crazy Harry seemed to be when pushed too far, they didn't exclude him taking revenge on them while they slept or while their guard was down. After all, even a 7th year student could fall to a 1st year student's wand if he was taken by surprise. And the extent to which Harry had beaten up the three first years the last time made everyone understand that he is not someone they can fuck around with.

However, while the rest of his house ostracized Harry, Dan and Gwen have never left his side.

' _Sure they are annoying as fuck most of the time but in the end they're...they're my friends. The only real friends I have ever had!'_ Harry thought, finally admitting it to himself that they were his friends. Until this moment Harry has had no interest at all in making any friends and he found it annoying to have to put up with anyone. He liked being alone, the three years he had spent alone, by himself, had made sure of that.

"Harry!" Gwen called him pleadingly.

Harry didn't hesitate any longer: "In which part did he disappear to?"

"He went to the right, towards the hospital wing!"

Being short and scrawny had their perks as well: thanks to his stature Harry has had no problems at all sneaking behind the taller students. The teachers who were supposed to keep all the students in check didn't notice him until he bolted up on the large stairs from the Entrance Hall...but by then it was already too late to stop him.

Harry kept running across the corridor until he finally found Dan's silhouette. The Disillusionment Charm casted by Dan was far from true invisibility; it was more like Dan's body was camouflaged with the surroundings and if one paid attention it was easy to notice the distortion of his surroundings whenever he moved.

All of a sudden Harry's hand clamped on Dan's shoulder and Dan jumped up in the air just like a scaredy cat. He was startled so badly by Harry's unexpected appearance that he lost his concentration and the Disillusionment Charm was dispelled.

Seeing Harry's stony face, Dan understood that Harry was very mad at him. And this time it wasn't like the times when Harry got angry because he annoyed him; this time Harry was truly angered, Dan could understand that much. But he didn't get to say even a word before through the hand that touched his shoulder, Harry casted the only offensive spell he was capable of casting, the Full Body-Binding Curse. Dan's hands were snapped close to his body and fell to the floor like a wooden log.

Just then, a high-pitched shriek was heard from the nearby bathroom and the sound of many things being broken was heard. Harry's heart thumped and his body started to unconsciously shake and tremble.

 _A few minutes before, in the girls' bathroom on the first floor_

"Do Muggles really use this kind of stuff to make themselves more beautiful?" a silver-haired girl asked intrigued.

"Yep. It's amazing how they invented all kinds of things without having magic, isn't it?" the other girl said while applying some powder to cover the freckles on her nose and cheeks.

"I think it's especially because they don't have magic that they were forced to invent all these things. Speaking of, why don't you use a charm or a potion instead? Covering your face with powder everyday must be quite the hasten."

"You probably meant _hassle_ not _hasten_." the girl applying muggle make-up on her face said teasingly.

The silver-haired girl's pretty face flushed in embarrassment but she kept up the strong front:

"O-Of course, y-you must have heard wrong!"

"Aww, the genius witch Argyris Lilith is embarrassed...you're so cute when you're confusing words! ...wait no, you're always cute, but when your face is flushed it's like you're two times more adorable~"

Lilith was used to being complemented and praised for her beauty. It was a natural occurrence everyday wherever she went. And contrary to how most veela felt, Lilith didn't dislike the sight of people ogling enviously at her. She actually enjoyed being praised and admired. She loved being in the spotlight and stealing other people's faces. Since she was a veela, that would happen anyway, regardless of her wanting it or not; since that was the case, might as well go with it and enjoy it – at least that was Lilith's mentality.

That being said, Lilith rarely got flustered at someone's words...but being told she was cute for making a mistake embarrassed her to no end.

"Don't worry, Lilith, you're still a genius in my eyes! It can't be helped – after all, English is not your native language. Speaking a foreign language as fluently as you do at your age is seriously impressive...But you're still cute...remember two weeks ago when said _cock_ instead of _clock_? I'll keep remembering that memory for the rest of my life!" the other girl said before bursting into laughter.

"Anna, that's taking it too far!" Lilith shouted and immediately began to pinch the other girl's cheeks.

"Ow, ow, I'm sowwy, I'm sowwy!" Anna tried to speak, but having her cheeks being pulled by Lilith's hands prevented her from talking correctly.

"Hmph, you've got it coming!" Lilith said haughtily before looking at her hands and exclaiming: "Eww, how can you put this stuff on your face?!"

Anna huffed and looked at Lilith in mock annoyance:

"Well, excuse me, Miss I-look-so-freaking-perfect-and-I'm-so-gorgeous-that-I-don't-need-any-make-up, but not everyone is as beautiful as you! Look at me for example!"

For an outsider, Anna's words would seem as if they were filled with envy and frustration, but Lilith knew that that wasn't the case. If it really was like that, Lilith would have long since stopped talking to her. Because of her beauty and her allure as a veela, Lilith had never had any friends – the girls were either annoyed at her or jealous while the boys... _'Don't get me started with the boys'_ was what Lilith said every time inside her mind when she thought about them. The reason for that was that under any veela's allure most boys acted as if Eros just hit them with his golden arrows. (2) Even the brilliant 3rd year Ravenclaw Papadopoulos from her country who was supposed to be a genius, even he was no different from the other boys when exposed to her allure. All the boys became putty with just one of her thoughts...

' _Except for one'_ Lilith thought as she recalled Harry's angry face when he snapped out from her allure's influence in the Hogwarts Express. But when she remembered how hard he hit her, she immediately became angry.

' _All the boys would consider themselves lucky to even kiss my boots, yet that plebeian, no, that...that barbarian dared to hit me!'_

Lilith took a calming breath and reverted her attention to the matter at hand – she knew that Anna was not jealous of her.

' _Ok, maybe she is a little jealous, I'm a peerless beauty after all.'_ Lilith thought with no small amount of smugness. But even so, Anna was not envious of Lilith to the point of becoming hostile towards her. And for that reason alone, Lilith greatly respected her.

Lilith washed off the powder she got on her hands from Anna's cheeks before saying with a superior smirk:

"Of course I wouldn't need such petty tricks to show off my natural beauty." But then Lilith's grin morphed into a serious expression and a small frown appeared on her face as she said:

"But you don't need either. Like seriously, aren't you a bit too young to care that much about these things?"

Anna puffed her cheeks into a pout and pointed an accusatory finger at the silver-haired girl: "You're not the one to talk, you're even younger than I am!"

"Yeah, but it's not me that's using muggle make-up to make myself look prettier...speaking of, I'm asking you again: why don't your use a charm or something? I mean besides the hassle of applying this powder, I also think that it wouldn't be that good for your skin in the long run.."

"And also," Lilith continued, "I was serious when I said you don't need it!"

And Lilith was not wrong: while Anna was not as beautiful as Lilith was, she was not ugly either. Not by far. Her shoulder-length curly hair was fiery red and the freckles on her nose and cheeks did nothing but add to her charm. True, she had a petite body, but in the end she was just 12 years old (she was a second year). She had a lot of time to grow up, she was still very young.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm a veela. It is natural for puberty to hit us faster. I think you'll be pretty gorgeous when you grow up!" Lilith said encouragingly. "Sure, you'll never be as gorgeous as I am, but that's impossible for anyone." Lilith added at the end like an afterthought and flipped her long tresses of silver hair in a provocative fashion.

"Why you...!" Anna exclaimed and pointed her wand at Lilith's hair instantly turning it purple.

"You dared to touch my brilliant hair...that's war!"

Lilith was about to retaliate and turn the colour of Anna's hair from red into cyan but she was petrified when she looked at the mirror. Anna looked at the mirror as well and her face contorted in horror. A very high-pitched shriek came from her lips before she fell to the ground with her body limp. She had fainted.

A horribly disgusting smell spread into the bathroom and because of that Lilith was shaken off from her panic-induced stupor. She turned towards the door of the bathroom and the colour drained from her face at the sight in front of her: 12 feet tall, weighting around 2 tons, with a burly body, long and powerful arms and with two legs that looked like tree trunks, the magical creature in front of her looked very menacing. It was a troll. And besides the gigantic body and the power it already had, the troll was also armed with huge wooden club probably weighing over 500 pounds easily.

The troll looked at Lilith dumbly, not moving a muscle. Afraid of breaking the temporary standstill, Lilith slowly, very slowly put her right hand into the pocket of her robe and took out her ivory white wand. However, while trolls were known for being dumb, that was when compared to humans. In comparison to other animals or non-sentient magical beings they could be considered pretty smart – that's the reason why trolls have been classified as semi-sentient beings. And true to this, when the troll saw the white wand in Lilith's hand, it suddenly roared and lifted its huge club to smash her: the troll recognized the danger a wand posed in a witch's hands.

But before the troll finished the motion of lifting its club – they really were very slow, Gwen had been right – Lilith shot her favourite spell:

" _Incarcerous!"_

Ropes shot from Lilith's wand and they immediately entangled the troll's legs. The troll wobbled dangerously for a moment and in its state of disequilibrium it dropped the gigantic club, smashing the stalls and sinks around itself. To Lilith's shock though, when the troll regained its bearings, the conjured ropes on its legs were ripped apart as if they were made of paper. In her panic Lilith started to shoot curses at the troll rapidly, one after another:

" _Impedimenta!"_

" _Petrificus Totalus!"_

" _Diffindo!"_

However, under her disbelieving eyes, the first two curses bounced off the troll's dull grey skin harmlessly while the Severing Charm at the end barely let a shallow scratch on its face. While the Severing Charm did not cause a major wound, it was probably quite painful if the roar the troll released was anything to go by.

Lilith was breathing laboriously and a hint of desperation appeared on her face. She had already casted 4 spells one after another while the first one was actually a Conjuration, a very taxing spell on her magical reserves. She was nearly exhausted and she was at a loss of what to do.

' _What kind of school is this?'_ Lilith inwardly screamed. _'Not even two weeks have passed since that 7_ _th_ _year boy was mauled by a Cerberus and now this...! Where do these monsters all come from? What kind of safety are we offered here?'_

' _If I come out alive from this, I'll tell mum and dad to take me back to Greece right away, the contract between the Ministries of Magic of UK and Greece be damned!'_

Lilith clenched her wand tightly in her hand thinking about what course of action to take. When faced with mortal danger, because of the adrenaline sometimes humans' bodies would surpass their natural limits: there were cases when men were able to lift weights of over 500 pounds, or when for others it felt like the time's flow slowed down...and in that moment Lilith was experiencing something similar to that as well. Faced with mortal danger, Lilith's brain started to work at an incredible speed, and in a split second tens of thoughts were flying through her mind.

' _My stamina is nearly depleted...I can cast at most two more spells before I'll faint from exhaustion...what should I do? Should I just try to run away and hope that the troll doesn't kill Anna in the meantime?'_

Lilith glanced at the prone form of the petite redhead and shook her head in dismay at her previous thoughts of abandoning her. Anna was one of the very few people that had treated her normally until then in her entire life. And while Lilith would not go that far as to say that she considered Anna her friend, Anna was still a nice acquaintance.

Ever since Lilith came at Hogwarts she has felt lonelier than ever. She has never had any friends, but at least in Greece she has had her family besides her. But here, In Great Britain, there was no-one who showed her kindness – the boys were rendered a drooling mess, while the girls looked at her with scorn in their eyes. No-one liked her company, no-one except for Anna.

' _I won't let the troll harm her!'_ Lilith decided. She clenched her wand tightly in her hand and her face became grim. But she steeled her resolve to do what she felt it was right: she would fire one more Severing Charm at the troll to make it completely ignore the defenceless girl on the floor and then run away, making it pursue her. After casting the Severing Charm Lilith knew that she would be close to passing away; it was hard to imagine that she would have the strength to run more than a few dozens of feet...she could only hope that someone got wind of the troll's appearance and was searching for it.

' _The always confident Argyris Lilith, a prodigy in Conjuration and a witch with a brilliant and rational mind, now clings onto the childish hope that a Shining Knight will come to her help and save the day...'_ Lilith thought self-mockingly as she let out a soft sigh.

" _Diffindo!"_ Lilith shouted as she slashed with her wand towards the troll's face.

Lilith broke into a run, but the troll didn't want to let her get away. Despite the pain it felt from the lacerations made by the two Severing Charms, the troll ignored it in favour of catching the one who hurt it. It picked up the huge wooden club from the floor and then, with heavy steps, it started to chase after Lilith.

As Lilith ran, she felt her vision getting blurry and her body continued to move only through sheer willpower alone. She didn't want to die here! She had wanted to grow up, find a handsome and kind boy that won't get tongue-tied in her presence, marry him, move into their new home, have two children and live happily ever after. She had wanted to become famous for her genius and prove everyone that she was the best at what she did, that she wasn't just a pretty face...she had wanted to travel the world and visit the muggle touristic attractions: the carnival in Rio, the tomatoes fights in Spain, the beautiful beaches in Fiji, the cherry blossoms in Japan...there were so many things she had dreamt of doing when she would have grown up, yet now she was on the verge of being killed by a troll...her heart was filled with unwillingness and hot tears started to spill from her eyes, but her steps did not falter and her running pace did not slow down.

At the end of the corridor, when she made it to the left, to her joy, two boys appeared in front of her eyes. _Troll!_ – she wanted scream, but at the sight of the two boys, her body that until then has been running on autopilot, finally reached its limit and Lilith stumbled and collapsed on the floor. She was barely conscious anymore.

 _Back to general POV_

When Harry heard the shriek and the following roars, all the hairs on his body stood up as if he had been electrocuted. For a moment he stood motionlessly, stupefied. But when another roar, closer to his position was heard, Harry immediately cancelled the curse on Dan and prepared to run...only to realize that Dan sprang into the opposite direction, exactly towards the place from where the scream has been heard from.

"The bloody fuck you're going, you stupid shit?!" Harry screamed at Dan in rage and caught his hand.

"There is a girl probably getting killed right now! Are you just going to abandon her?!" Dan screamed back at him equally angered.

But Harry didn't back down in the least. Looking at Dan, dead into his eyes, he said:

"Of course. I don't give a damn about anyone in this school except for two persons. For all I care the rest can simply die! My life is more important than theirs, why should I risk it for them? Why would _you_ risk your life for someone you don't know?! And after I actually put my life in danger to stop you from getting yourself killed, now you're actually going staright to hell?" Harry shouted.

Dan looked at Harry in disbelief before all of a sudden he threw a sucker punch at Harry's jaw.

"I thought you were different from the others in Slytherin, that's why Gwen and I tried to get close to you. In the end you're just like the others...no, you fit into Slytherin House's criteria much better that anyone I know: sneaky and cruel when it comes to your revenge but cowardly and extremely selfish at the same time...you're a scum, you're worse than trash!" Dan spat angrily at the now collapsed Harry and broke into a run towards where he heard the noise coming from

' _That stupid cunt!'_ Harry raged in his mind _'After I came to save him from his stupidity, that's how he treats me! To hell if I care anymore!'_

' _Just go die, self-righteous retard!'_

Harry lifted himself from the floor and wiped the blood trailing from the corner of his lips and turned, wanting to go back to safety, in the Entrance Hall.

' _ **Are you going to abandon your only friend?'**_ a calm and soft voice came into Harry's mind and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

' _ **Are you going to leave him to his death?'**_ the voice asked again.

Harry clenched his jaws and didn't answer. He understood that that must have been Athena's voice, but he was too angry to care. He proceeded to move forward.

' _ **Will you sleep soundly at night knowing that it was your wounded pride and cowardice that led to your friend's death?'**_

"To hell with that!" Harry yelled. "It wasn't me that made that retard go face a troll by himself! I tried to stop him so many times already, if he insists on getting killed then so be it! I don't fancy the thought of getting killed for something as trivial as this!"

' _ **Trivial? Are the bonds you made with him trivial as well?'**_

Harry didn't answer Athena this time and he stopped his steps. At his silence Athena continued:

' _ **It is in this kind of moments that one can see difference between true and fake friends. It is in this kind of moments that one's character is shaped and it is these kind of moments that show whether someone was destined for greatness or not.'**_

Harry kept silent, but his body started to tremble.

' _ **You're scared...you're terrified... you have calculated your chances against a troll and you realized that you would certainly lose. This rational side of you is commendable. However, all the great deeds the heroes are remembered for in legends even now after thousands of years...none of said heroes attempted to do something while being completely certain of their victory. They often went against the odds and through their willpower alone, they defeated the fates themselves.'**_

"But I'm no hero! I don't give a damn about being great and I don't care about anyone!" Harry shouted more to reassure his consciousness than to reply to Athena's words.

"Besides, what could I possibly do?" Harry yelled in a defeated voice.

' _ **Do you want to save your friend?'**_

' _ **Are you willing to risk your life for him?'**_

Harry's hands clenched hard so that his nails dug into the skin of his palms. He felt conflicted; he loved his life, he didn't want to die! He was just 11 years old, he hasn't even gotten to the better years of his life yet...how could he possibly be content with the chance of dying right now?! But Harry understood that if he really turned his back this time and abandoned Dan to his own devices, he would never be the same afterwards for the rest of his remaining life.

"I willing, I'm going to fucking go, damnit!" Harry said cursing, even he, himself, almost not believing his own words.

' _ ** _No hero has ever done anything without someone's help. I was the one who guided Perseus in his task of killing Medusa; I was the one that told Heracles how to skin the Nemean Lion, I was the one the helped him kill the Stympahlian Birds and I helped him in defeating Hades' Cerberus; I helped Theseus in defeating the Minotaur and Cadmus killed the water-dragon thanks to my help; I was the one that tamed the Pegasus and gave it to Bellerophon to help him defeat the Chimera...'_**_

' _ **Pledge your life to me, child, and I'll never abandon you. Put your faith in me and I'll always be by your side. I'll be the light on your path, your feet will never stumble and as long as your will won't waver, victory will not leave your side. Nike has alwayd been my close friend and the fates have always smiled upon the wise and the brave. Entrust your life in my hands and let your ears listen to my advice** **. I'll be your guide, your mentor and I'll stay with you till the end of time.'** **(3)**_

After Athena finished her words, Harry felt a heroic feeling surfacing in his heart and it was like a bright fire started to burn in his chest. Not unlike how Diomedes had once fearlessly charged towards the Trojan army, Harry began to run towards the troll, with no hesitation in his steps. (4)

When he turned to the right, he saw a collapsed on the floor a girl with purple hair and Dan getting blasted away by the troll's club despite the Shielding Charm he had deployed just a second before. At this sight Harry saw red in front of his eyes, but Athena's calming voice shook him from his rage:

' _ **He is not dead. The Shielding Charm has saved his life, although barely.'**_

' _ **Your wand is unresponsive to your touch...go to the collapsed girl and take her wand!'**_

Harry felt perplexed in his mind – his wand didn't accept him, how could a stranger's wand react to him? But Harry never once doubted Athena's words and before the troll's club descended again towards the purple-haired girl on the floor, he jumped right in front of her.

 _Lilith's POV_

After she collapsed, she expected the troll's club to smash her. She instinctively contracted her muscles and her body stiffened while waiting for death.

" _Bombarda!"_ Lilith heard a scream and the troll's face was hit by a bluish-white beam of light.

The troll's large nose burst into a shower of blood along with one of its eyes as well. The creature stumbled two steps backwards and Dan thought that that was its end. He turned his back at the troll and bent down to check Lilith.

The troll let out a deafening roar of pain and Dan turned back towards the troll at such a speed that it was a miracle his neck didn't snap. He saw the troll's club coming violently towards him and he barely had the time to throw a Shielding Charm in its way to protect himself. However, the strength of the charm was too flimsy to withstand such a huge amount of blunt damage and Dan was blown violently into the wall of the corridor where he lost his consciousness.

Believing the boy to be dead, the troll directed his attention back to Lilith who watched with her eyes wide open in horror for the second time how the fierce club descended to take her life.

...Just then another boy stepped in front of her body and she couldn't help but exclaim:

"You?!"

If Harry heard her, Lilith didn't know as he didn't have the time to reply. He lifted both of his hands and a translucent blue dome encapsulated his and the girl's body. The troll hit, but the dome had been so powerful that the club was broken from the middle and the force of the hit rebounded back into the troll's arm, eliciting another roar of pain from it.

Harry abruptly turned his face towards Lilith and she gasped at his appearance. The once remarkably green eyes of the boy in front of her were now silvery-grey and they were glowing, radiating a majestc aura filled with power.

Oblivious to Lilith's surprise, Harry snatched roughly the wand from her still tightly clenched hand and when he firmly clasped it in his palm, a shocking thing for Lilith happened: a blinding light erupted from the tip of the ivory white wand and the air started to rotate around Harry like a small maelstrom.

' _B-But how?! It's my wand!'_ Lilith shouted in her mind in disbelief.

 _Back to general POV_

When he touched Lilith's wand, a blinding light shone from its tip and a powerful feeling of warmth invaded his being. It was the first time Harry felt a wand's reaction to him and he felt slightly emotional. But that thought did not last more than a second. He turned towards the roaring troll and with a scream of his own Harry brandished Lilith's wand at it.

He felt his magic accumulating in the wand, and the wand seemed to tremble in excitement. When he sensed that the wand reached its limit Harry stabbed with it forward. The air violently distorted and powerful wave of pressure exploded from it. When it reached the troll, time seemed to have stopped in both of Harry's and Lilith's eyes: a car-wheel sized indentation appeared on the troll's chest seemingly in slow motion and then the 2 tons heavy monstrosity was blown off its feet and hurled through the large windows of the corridor, straight into the courtyard of the school.

The impact of the spell was so powerful that the troll did not get the chance to let out a roar of pain or even a grunt: the blunt damage of the pressured wave of air was so vicious that it ended its life in a heartbeat.

In the next moment Harry felt like all the energy was sucked out of him and he began to feel dizzy.

' _ **Well-done, child. You did great!'**_ was the last thing Harry heard before he lost his consciousness. He fell down on his back but even after falling unconscious, a slight smile still adorned his face.

* * *

AN:

(1) I actually remember this small fact because of a meme where Draco said something like "But the Slytherin dormitory is in the dungeons!" and Dumbledore replied with "OMG, Malfoy, you act like I even care!" Lmao

(2) Eros was the god of love and sexual desire in Greek Mythology. You might know him better as Cupid (Eros' Roman counterpart). The golden arrows were the ones that instilled love in Eros' targets.

(3) Nike is the goddess of Strength, Speed, and Victory in the Greek mythology . Nike was a very close acquaintance of Athena, and is thought to have stood in Athena's outstretched hand in the statue of Athena located in the Parthenon.

(4) Diomedes is a Greek hero famous for participating in the Trojan War. In the Iliad it is said that Athena empowered Diomedes and gave him courage to fight against the Trojan army when most of the Greek army's morale was down and they started to back down. Other myths also say that afterwards Athena offered Diomedes eternal life, transforming him into a demigod.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Minister and Hogwarts

**AN:** I want to tell you that in this fic we have a **competent** both Minister and Ministry of Magic , which in turn will naturally lead to a different from canon situation when the war will break out. Honestly, I've never read until now a fic in which the Ministry wasn't either useless (like in canon) or outright evil...because of that I thought "What if the Minister was not a cowardly polician? What if the Ministry of Magic actually did its job? Would Dumbledore still be allowed to do as he pleased? Would Voldemort manage to win as easily as he did in the canon?"

"Hello" – normal talk

 _'Hello'_ – thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 9 - The Minister of Magic and Hogwarts**

Harry tried to stand in a seating position, but he couldn't help swearing when a wave of dizziness hit him.

"You shouldn't be trying to get up on your own yet, you're suffering of magic exhaustion." Harry heard a calm and beautiful voice from his gorgoneion.

His head fell back on the pillow and he looked at the white ceiling of the infirmary while thinking about the trol thatl he had recklessly fought off before falling unconscious.

 _'I can't believe I actually did that...I can't believe I rushed like an idiot in front of that monster to protect that girl...what had_ _gotten into me back then?'_ he asked himself incredulously.

Unlike most people his age, Harry knew himself very well. He knew and he admitted it to himself that he was not a brave person. Being brave in his mind equalled stupidity – because in his opinion only an idiot would act when the odds were against him. Yet that's exactly what he had done back then!

"Not everything can be done in life without taking any risks, child. You're not a god...and even us, gods, don't always have it our own way." Athena said with a hint of bitterness.

"Also, you're asking yourself why have you acted unlike you? ...it was your wish to save your friend that made you surpass your fears. Your will to fight made you surpass your limits and it temporarily rose your strength. Your will to fight turned you into a hero."

"A...hero?" Harry said quietly.

"Yes, a hero. One does not need to slay monsters and save entire countries to be called a hero. You saved two lives yesterday, child. You risked your own life to save theirs. That's what means to be a hero."

Harry didn't say anything this time. He continued to think about Athena's words and as they sank into his heart, a sense of satisfaction and peace surfaced from it. The feeling of peace that vanished in that night when he played a part in Marcus Flint's death, that peace once again appeared in his heart. He felt so relieved and so free that he could almost not believe he was actually experiencing those feelings for real.

 _'Athe_ _na has been right after all...'_ Harry thought as he remembered Athena's words about how had she gotten past her guilt of killing by mistake her best friend Pallas.

Harry put both of his hands on the Gorgoneion on his chest and tightened his grip on it.

"Thank you for existing...thank you for appearing in my life!" he whispered before letting a soft sigh and falling asleep almost instantly.

Athena heard his voice and in spite of herself, a feeling of warmth pervaded her chest. It was an unknown feeling that she has never felt until then in her thousands of years of existence. (1)

 _Scene break_

After a few hours Harry awoke again, but it was already light outside by then. The soreness of his body and the dizziness he felt earlier into the wee hours of the night, were mostly gone. All that was left as a reminder of his magic exhaustion was a mild feeling of weakness.

"Erm...Athe...Goddess?" Harry tried to ask Athena something but he was unsure of how to address her. Harry didn't truly understand who Athena really was as he had never read about the Greek Mythology, but just by knowing that she was a goddess, he understood that she must be a very important person, that much was obvious. Because of that, he felt compelled to be polite to her...as polite as an uneducated little punk could be. But then again, knowing she was a goddess, Harry felt that calling her 'miss' was not adequate at all and because of that he was a at a loss of how to address her.

"You can call me Lady Athena." the goddess said with an almost imperceptible hint of amusement in her voice.

"Right. Lady Athena...how much time passed since I lost my consciousness?"

"Not much. You have only slept for a night."

"Just this little?" Harry asked surprised. By al means, he should have normally been bedridden for at least two days, not for just a night. He stood silent for a few minutes before asking again:

"I do have a few more questions...am I allowed to ask you?"

"Speak."

"Could it be that you can hear everything I'm thinking?"

Understanding what was Harry worried about, Athena explained:

"I do, I can both see and hear everything you're thinking about as if it were my own thoughts. But I know how invasive this situation is, so I blocked your thoughts from reaching me. However, in tense situations for you, this solution is no longer effective. I believe wizards have means to prevent one's mind from being invaded or from emitting signals to outside; you should research this subject as soon as possible."

Harry nodded in agreement and then, after a small hesitation, he asked:

"Why me? There are probably thousands of tourists that visit British Museum everyday and I'm sure some of them are Wizards as well. What made you choose me?"

Indeed, it happened with three months before Dumbledore got wind of Harry and came to 'invite' him to Hogwarts.

With over 10'000 visitors every day and over 5 million each year, British Museum was one of the largest and most visited museums in the world. Of course, Harry didn't know this exact piece of information, he only knew that there were more people than he could count...and for him that was like a treasure trove. No, he didn't considerthe museum a treasure trove because of the countless and priceless artefacts it held, but because of the large number of tourists that visited it every day - the more people there were, the easier it was for Harry to pickpocket someone and the greater the chances for him to get a loaded purse.

Thus, back then, he "visited" British Museum every week. And it was after one of his weekly "purse-hunting" sessions at the museum from three months before meeting Dumbledore that he got the Gorgoneion. No, he didn't steal it, who in his right mind would do something like this in the middle of the day? It simply...appeared... The very next morning, Harry found himself with a stone pendant depicting a woman's head which had snakes instead of hair. He was more than a little freaked out by it and by how it appeared but strangely, after the temporary feeling of bewilderment and anxiety, a strange feeling of attachment towards the pendant was born in his heart...And now, Harry was curious, why did Athena choose him?

"It was because of your gift."

"My gift?" Harry asked in confusion.

"You were right, amongst the thousands of visitors each they, there were also some wizards and witches mixed in. However, none of them had the same gift as you...the ability of understanding and speaking the snakes' language, the Parseltongue."

At Athena's words, a flash of recognition lighted Harry's eyes. He had almost forgotten about the incident that took place during the month of staying at the Leaky Cauldron, before coming at Hogwarts. In one of those days, while spending his time on the Diagon Alley, he happened to enter the Magical Menagerie as well. It was then that he heard for the first time a snake's hiss and (to his fright) actually understood it. But given all the incidents that followed his coming at Hogwarts, Harry had forgotten about that, only now remembering it. Even so, he had thought that he understood the Snake's words because of his gorgoneion, not because of his own ability.

"So I can really talk to snakes...but how is that important to you? I mean I see that this pendant also has snakes on it, but you're not a Goddess of Snakes. You said you were the Goddess of Wisdom, War and Heroes."

Athena let out a soft sigh and Harry got the feeling the she also shook her head in slight disappointment.

"Read the legends written about me, child. Learn more about my past and you will understand it."

Harry would have wanted to continued asking the goddess the questions that had been bugging him, but the red light in the eyes of the gorgon from his amulet began to flicker. He understood that Athena's time was up and true to his thoughts, in the next moment, her voice disappeared and the gorgoneion seemed to have lost all of its traces of life.

 _Scene Break_

At half an hour from the end of Harry's conversation with Athena, Madam Pomfrey appeared and after making sure he was fine, Harry was released from the Hospital Wing. He was in a very good mood and the spring in his steps did nothing to hide it.

Soon, he reached the large wooden doors of the Great Hall. As in every morning, the students were very clamourous so Harry had no problems in slipping in without attracting anyone's attention in particular. He took a seat at the Slytherin table and without even looking around he started to reavenously dig in the food on his plate.

However, even with all his indifference and aloofness, Harry still felt that something was different in the Great Hall's mood. He looked at the professors' table and, as it became a custom in the past few weeks, the headmaster's seat was empty this time as well.

 _'Bastard!'_ Harry cussed under his breath.

While Harry was in the middle of eating a large piece of apple pie, the doors of the Great Hall were opened with a bang. Six wizards and four witches clothed in emerald green and dark blue robes strode in purposely emitting an awe inspiring aura. They were Aurors, some of the best wand-weilders in the entire Ministry of Magic. In front of them a middle aged man with an air of authority around him walked while having plastered a grave expression on his face. Those that knew him would recognize that in that moment he was angry.

When the doors of the Great Hall were opened rather rudely, half of the professors sat up to their feet and tensed up. But when they saw who it was, a look of helplessness surfaced into their eyes.

Completely ignoring everyone's gazes and the professors' tense stances, the middle-aged man climbed up on the podium on which the professors' table was located and after turning his face towards the students, he pointed his wand under his chin and started to speak, his magically amplified voice reverbering in everyone's ears.

"For those who don't know me, my name is Marcus Martlesham and I am the Minister of Magic. With the authority that I possess as the Minister and and the authority the Wizengamot invested in me, I declare the school year closed!

"As of now, Hogwarts, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be closed for an indefinite period of time!"

A deafening silence followed the Minister's statement before an uproar of voices erupted from the student body of the school. One of the present Aurors took out his wand and was about to instil the order, but then, Albus Dumbledore stepped into the Great Hall with a thunderous expression on his face. The entire hall quieted down immediately; they have never seen the ever smiling old wizard being that angry.

"What is the meaning of this, Marcus?" Dumbledore's ice-cold voice sounded.

"As of now, Hogwarts is closed. Also, I wanted at first to spare you of embarrassment and not say it in front of your students, but it doesn't look like you would appreciate my good intentions anyway... At any rate, starting with today, you're no longer the headmaster of this school." Marcus Martlesham said coolly, completely unaffected by the old wizard's attitude.

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed dangerously and he said in a forceful tone, barely able to restrain his anger:

"You have no rights to do this! As long as the governors of the school don't agree, the Minister of Magic has no say in Hogwarts' functioning!"

"I have no rights?" Marcus said with an edge in his voice.

In that moment, one of the Aurors handed Marcus a scroll that unfolded itself and started to float besides him.

"This scroll holds the signatures of 97% of the Wizengamot's members, allowing me to rightfully intervene in this affair. The Ministry of Magic has no say in Hogwarts' functioning?" the Minister asked angrily before shouting:

"No rights to intervene in Hogwarts' internal affairs? A BOY WAS KILLED, DUMBLEDORE!"

The Minister's face was red with anger and he was breathing deeply trying to calm down.

"And barely two weeks after that, another thing happened: Lilith Argyris, the Greek exchange student was almost killed yesterday along with Harry Potter, the last of the House of Potter. Moreover, my son was hit by a troll with a club weighting a few good hundred pounds...he is barely alive at St. Mungo IN A COMA!"

"Tell me now, Dumbledore, does the Ministry have the right to intervene or not? Does the Minister have the right to involve himself or not?" Marcus roared.

In front of the angry Minister's outburst no-one dared to say a word and a heavy silence dominated the Great Hall for a few good moments.

"Peacefully accept the situation, Dumbledore. Both the law and the entire British wizarding population are on my side. Resist and only Azkaban is awaiting for you." the Minister said in a normal voice after he got a hold of his temper. He turned his attention toward the students again and said:

"The Express of Hogwarts leaves from Hogsmeade to London at 12 o'clock sharp. I believe you all have enough time to pack your things. Those who prefer a different way of transportation can also depart as they see fit."

"Do not fret, your families have been informed about the situation. I believe most of your parents will arrive in Hogsmeade in less than 2 hours."

 _Scene break_

It was a little past 10 o'clock in the morning when the first parents have already started to appear. Many of them sported worried or angry expressions on their faces and not few were the ones that did not even want to let their children ride the Express of Hogwarts anymore...not that their behaviour could be considered over the top. After all, in less than a month, a boy was killed and other 8 students almost died as well, with two of them brushing past death for a second time yesterday...not to mention that one of them - Dan, the Minister's son - was still unconscious, in a coma.

Given the recent events, how could the parents not be crazy with worry? In everyone's conception Hogwarts was supposed to be safest place in Great Britain, yet the place where everyone was supposed to be safe from any harm, that was where their children have faced mortal peril! How could they still be calm?

After an hour most of the pureblood and half-blood students have been taken away by their parents, most of the students that stayed to take the train being the muggleborns since their parents could not arrive in Hogsmeade in time even if they wanted (Hogwarts was in the middle of nowhere, in Scotalnd, at hundreds of miles away from London)

When the Clock Tower chimed signalling that it was 11 o'clock, a few tens of students climbed into the Theseral driven carriages, only for them to arrive at the train station in Hogsmeade 20 minutes later. However, they were surprised to see that quite a large number of reporters were awaiting for them with their cameras ready.

In the following clamour, Harry took chance of the situation to slip into the express without anyone's notice. He still remembered Dumbledore's "offer" and he was afraid that the former headmaster of Hogwarts will stop him from leaving and actually force him to live under his guardianship.

The remaining 40 minutes before the Expres' departing were probably some of the slowest Harry has ever experienced in his life... Afraid of being spotted, he did not even dare to sit on the compartment's seats. Even his trunk was on the floor instead of being put in the luggage rack and he himself was hidden behind the trunk, seating on the floor, not unlike a hobo.

Unknown to him the tension he felt let Athena sense the situation and hear his thoughts even if the gorgoneion was in a dormant state. Because of that, she forced herself awake and she placed a minor repelling ward on the compartment's door. It was weak and if someone actually wanted to get in would not be stopped, but given that more than half of the students have already left, there were plenty of free seats in the train. Hence, when faced with the door of the compartment that looked as if someone had just peed on it, nobody even thought of entering.

After what seemed like an eternity, a loud whistle was heard.

 _'Finally!'_ Harry said while exhaling in relief.

And true to his worries, Dumbledore truly tried to find Harry. When Harry looked outside the window he saw the old wizard looking very carefully at each carriage's windows while his phoenix checked the other side of the train. Had the reporters and the Minister of Magic along with the Aurors not been there, Dumbledore would have personally searched each compartment for Harry.

When the train started to move Dumbledore finally spotted him: Harry was grinning like a loon and throwing smug glances at him!

At that sight Dumbledore nearly choked with his spit and for some reason his temper flared. If he were alone, he would have actually stopped the express right away! But alas, with the horde of reporters that looked at him like a pack of starved wolves looked at a fat sheep, Dumbledore knew better than to cause a scene.

Apparently Harry understood this thing as well seeing as his grin widened so much that the corners of his lips almost reached his ears.

A vein started to throb on Dumbledore's forehead when he saw Harry showing him the middle finger.

When Harry saw how angry Dumbledore became, he started to laugh out loud in delight and he began to taunt him even more - he started to move his hand in the vulgar motion that described someone sucking a dick.

By now, Dumbledore's complexion was so ugly to look at that one would think that he just swallowed a full mouth of Skele-Gro potion.

Dumbledore's face attracted the surrounding people's attention and they followed his line of sight: there, standing with his feet on the cushioned bench, was Harry Potter in his all glory with a hand on his crotch, performing a horrible imitation of Michael Jackson's famous dance.

When Dumbledore saw Harry grabbing his crotch and flaunting it at him, he finally lost it.

"YOU SCOUNDREL!"

Fortunately for Harry the train just started to move' , so he was not frightened by Dumbledore's roar in the least. He pulled down the window and he squeezed out half of his body and screamed at the top of his lungs while thrusting out his middle finger:

"Kiss my ass you foggy bastard!"

The train left the station and Harry collapsed on the bench cackling like a madman. His sides hurt and he could barely even breathe, but he couldn't stop from laughing.

Little was Harry aware though that besides the abilities that he knew that wizards had, they were also capable of teleportation...

* * *

AN: The statistics about British Museum's number of visitors are outdated - I searched on google to see the numbers from 1990-1991. Nowadays the number of visitors is higher.

(1) I'm saying this just to get your mind out of the gutter, what Athena felt was the start of a motherly love, not something else.

(not proofread by my beta, sorry for any mistakes I may have made)


	10. Chapter 10 - Interlude

AN:

"Hello" – normal talk

'Hello' – thoughts

《Hello》- Greek language

(Many thanks to TheUddonAddict for proofreading this chapter)

* * *

 **Chapter 10 - Interlude**

A rather distraught Dumbledore was pacing back and forth on the King's Cross' platform, waiting for the Hogwarts Express. The reason for his distress was none other than that miscreant Harry Potter.

Dumbledore was befuddled by his own reactions at the boy's taunts...he had lived for over a century and had experienced many situations far more distressing along the years. Because of those experiences, it was very rare for him to lose his temper like that. Participating in politics for decades and leading the faction of the light in two magical wars made him become a very calm and collected person. Yet in spite of that, just a few hours before he...he allowed an 11 year old boy's (the very thought of him made his temper flare) taunts get the better of him.

 _'I guess I'm really getting old...Besides that, Marcus Flint's unfortunate death, the dangerous variable that Harry Potter represents, the appearance of the signs of Voldemort's imminent return, the troll's attack last evening and Hogwarts being closed down this morning...all these things have put a great deal of stress on me…'_

Dumbledore let out a tired sigh and stopped in his tracks. He couldn't help but lament at his situation: he could be considered very old, over one hundred years old - he even liked to joke sometimes that even he had forgotten the exact number of his years. Moreover, he had lived in the complacency of peace for over 10 years and because of that, now when the storm was brewing at the horizon, Dumbledore couldn't help but ask himself: when Voldemort returned to start a war once again...would he still be up for the task? Would he still be able to face off Voldemort as an equal?

If there were any wizards capable enough to take up his mantle Dumbledore would step back in a heartbeat and allow them to do his job. But Dumbledore knew that there was nobody competent enough to stand up to one of the most powerful Dark Lords ever recorded in history.

There was Amelia Bones...but she was a woman. Not that he underestimated a witch's magical or intellectual prowess - after all, his very deputy headmistress was one of the most brilliant magic practitioners he had ever seen – it was one of the reasons he let her become his deputy after all - but Dumbledore was aware that the wizarding population did not think the same. While the muggles had begun to reconsider their views about women, wizards still lived like they did two centuries ago - in the ignorance and belief that women, even witches, were beneath them. There were few exceptions, and near all of them had high political standing. In fact, Amelia Bones was the first witch that has ever held such a high position within the Ministry of Magic - that of the head of DMLE. Bottom line, wizards would be reluctant to gather under a woman's banner; that was the sad and naked truth.

Thinking of Amelia Bones made Dumbledore's thoughts jump to the actual Minister of Magic. Marcus Martlesham was one of the best Aurors in the last few decades, and one of the few still alive veterans of the Blood War that ended 10 years before.

Dumbledore nearly let out a chuckle when he remembered how a few years ago, a small fry named Cornelius Fudge actually had the gall to compete with Marcus for the job of the Minister. What a joke! Ten years ago, when the war ended, over 80% of the public's votes were in Marcus' favour. Then, 3 years ago, Cornelius Fudge tried again to compete for the position of Minister of Magic (a Minister's term could last for a maximum of 7 years), but was once again categorically defeated. Knowing these things one would think that Marcus Martlesham was a shoe-in for Dumbledore position as the "Leader of the Light", but Dumbledore did not share the same opinion.

 _'Sure, he's a brilliant wizard and a decent Minister for these times of peace...but he doesn't have ability to see the greater picture. He doesn't understand that most of the time the greater good is more important than personal feelings and opinions...just like what he just did today: he closed off Hogwart because his own son was almost killed, but by doing that, a few hundred students were deprived of their rights at magical education...'_

In the end Dumbledore decided that he would just have to grit his teeth and endure it. After all, he was still not THAT old yet... at least in his view. Dumbledore considered that given his magical prowess he should still be able to live at least another century. The reason for his confidence was that the previous headmaster of Hogwarts, Armando Dippet, has lived for over 350 years! Armando Dippet was born in 1637 and he was still alive to this day. Compared to him Dumbledore considered himself to be in just a bit past his prime. (1)

A sharp whistle was heard and Dumbledore was shaken off from his musings. While he was deep in his thoughts the platform filled up with a large number of parents waiting for their children, but it was not only the children and parents. Besides them, there were also quite a number of reporters and Ministry officials.

 _Scene break_

《Mum, why didn't we use a portkey to Apparate on the platform directly?》a white haired girl asked impatiently while scowling at the surrounding passers by on the street. Her very long and silvery white hair and her exceptional looks attracted more than a few glances as she and her parents walked towards King's Cross. There weren't that many people on the streets given that it was already dark outside (it was around 8 pm) but it was still uncomfortable to be stared at.

However, the girl still had it easy compared to her mother. Her mother appeared to be in her thirties and was like an older version of the girl...only even more beautiful. With her white hair reaching to the middle of her back, sparkling blue eyes, perfect complexion and an hourglass figure, the mother outshone in beauty every woman that the muggles on the streets had ever seen in their entire lives...but that was only natural given the fact that she was a veela.

《I don't like being stared at like this either, but you know it's not polite at all to simply portkey or Apparate in the middle of a platform full of people,》the mother said with an easy tone of scolding.

The girl scrunched her small nose in dismay, but didn't say anything anymore, only choosing to grab her father's hand who was openly glaring at the ones that forgot to even breathe at the sight of his wife and daughter. He was a middle age man that appeared to be in his forties. He had grizzled black hair, brown eyes and a nicely cut beard. He was tall and well-built, having a rather intimidating presence.

Unlike most wizards, the trio were not clueless about the muggles' customs and dress code, so their clothing didn't stand out unlike other wizarding attempts to blend in through being horrible. The man was dressed in a dark brown suit, an elegant long black coat that stopped at his knees and had a black umbrella in his left hand. The woman was wearing a long grey tweed pencil skirt, a short grey coat, a black dragon-hide purse and a pair of black ankle boots made from the same material.

If there is one thing the trio stood out through because of their clothing was that unlike her parents who were dressed in a rather elegant fashion, the girl only wore a pair of black jeans, a dark blue hoodie and a rather bulky pair of white LA Gear. It was quite the contrast, but given the fact that most of the passers by were ogling at different things, the discrepancy went almost unnoticed.

《Lilith, I'm rather curious about the boy that saved you. What can you tell us about him besides what we already know?》the man spoke for the first time since they left the hotel, asking his daughter.

Lilith hesitated for a brief moment before saying:

《I- ...we're not that close...No,》she shook her head.《In fact we don't really get along at all.》

《Eh? How come? Even if you're very young, you're still a veela...what kind of boy couldn't possibly get along with you?》Lilith's father asked her in surprise, only for his wife to answer him instead:

《The ones that can resist a veela's charm, isn't that right, sweetie?》

Seeing Lilith adopting an uncomfortable look, her mother felt that there was some sort of conflict between Lilith and the boy regarding her allure. Lilith's mother was aware of Lilith's conceited and disregarding attitude towards boys and she suspected that Lilith might have been rude to the boy. She looked like she wanted to ask her daughter something but at that moment the wind picked up and small droplets of water began to pour from the dark sky.

《Ugh...why does it always rain here in England?》Lilith complained before she let out a startled shriek when she felt herself being swiped off her feet.

《D-Dad, we're in the middle of the street, what are you doing?!》Lilith half-shouted in a whisper while her faced flushed in embarrassment.

《What? Can't I carry my little princess? Don't you love your father anymore?》the middle-age man said faking an expression of sorrow while he held his daughter in a princess carry.

《N-No, but not in public! I'm not little anymore!》

Meanwhile Lilith's mother giggled at the unfolding scene in front of her eyes and she smiled warmly as she opened her husband's umbrella and covered the three of them. After having nearly lost her daughter, she treasured her even more. It wasn't that she didn't love her daughter before, but it was in a person's nature for them to truly realize a thing's real worth only after losing it. This was why after her daughter's brush past death, she was now aware even more of how much her daughter meant to her.

Lilith's parents continued their walk towards the train station all the while laughing at her embarrassed expression and her pouting face... When they finally arrived at the shelter of the train shed, Lilith sprang from her father's arms with a flexibility not unlike that of a cat and even though she struggled to keep a calm facade for the sake of appearances, there still was a hint of red in her normally pale white cheeks.

 _Scene break_

More than four hours have passed since the train left Hogsmeade and currently Harry was watching the darkening sky through the window. It was almost the half of November, and at 4 pm the evening was already beginning to settle in.

He was thinking about the last three months, about the things that he had experienced. He found out that he was a wizard...that he wasn't as special as he had liked to believe. He even experienced the bitterness that came with the realization that there were other people many times more powerful than him, he faced mortal danger two times and for two months his patience and sanity were stretched to their limits by Draco Malfoy and his peers.

And all of those things for what? His progress in magic was lacklustre if you asked him. Harry was not pleased with the result at all. All he had learned from the professors while being at Hogwarts was how to change a match into a needle and what was the correct way to brew a Forgetfulness Potion, but even that he had not managed to do it flawlessly. Apart from that, he didn't learn anything from classes - he had known the Levitation Charm for three years already while the rest of the objects were in Harry's opinion useless, because Quirrell was horrible at everything he did and Herbology and History of Magic didn't appeal to him at all. Ironically enough (at least from his point of view) the only class that he actually enjoyed was Astronomy, which was in fact unrelated to actual magic.

Therefore, besides his mastery over the Levitation Charm which he had obtained before coming at Hogwarts, Harry only knew two spells: the Full-Body Binding Curse and the Unlocking Charm - both of which were learned only thanks to his own efforts, with no-one's help. As he thought of that, Harry realized that it was actually very fortunate for him that the Minister of Magic closed off the school. Apart from the library Hogwarts didn't have anything of value to offer him...

"Well, not exactly...The food was brilliant..." Harry said as an afterthought.

As he kept recalling the past events, Harry also remembered last evening's scene, where the purple-haired girl's wand reacted to him.

'Wait, purple hair? What the hell?' Harry thought as he only now realized how weird the collapsed girl's hair looked. But given the situation, Harry couldn't bring himself to care about her appearance at that time. In fact, he didn't remember the girl's face seeing as he was too focused on following Athena's directions in order to defeat the mountain troll.

 _'I really need to find a good wand...the one I have is useless.'_ Harry thought as he looked at black stick in his hands.

Until yesterday he had thought that there was no real point in having a wand to cast spells, but the feeling that washed over him when he held Lilith's wand and poured his magic into it convinced him otherwise. He understood that while he might be able to cast magic wandlessly, his spells would be much more powerful when cast with a wand.

As he stood deep in his thoughts, hours passed by very quickly. He was just thinking about where to live from then on - he couldn't rent a room at Leaky Cauldron since he didn't want Dumbledore to find him - when the whistle of the train shook him off from his musing. Woken up by the sound, Harry was startled to realize that it was night outside and that the train already stopped.

He grabbed his trunk from the luggage rack and rushed to get out of the train and make himself sparse as quickly as he could... only he had not expected the platform to be as crowded as it was. Not only were there over a hundred parents, there was also a large number of reporters and Ministry officials.

A gust of chilly wind suddenly blew and Harry shivered. He fastened the winter cloak around himself more tightly and he buried his nose into the green and grey scarf that symbolized he was a member of the Slytherin House while he started to squeeze his way out of the crowd as rapidly as he could.

Just as he was about to get out of the more crowded area of the platform, a glistening of silver caught his eyes: there, at twenty feet in front of him, a long silvery-white beard was sparkling in the light of the lampposts placed across the King's Cross' 3/4 Platform.

It was Dumbledore.

Glancing at the old man's face and seeing the intense look in his eyes, in that moment Harry knew that he was screwed.

"Fuck!"

* * *

AN:

(1) Yes, it's not a typo, Armando Dippet really lived for over 350 years. He was born in 1637 and died in 1992, at the age of 355 years old. I only recently learned this fact...I was mind-blown.


	11. Chapter 11 - Balls of Steel

AN:

"Hello" – normal talk

 _'Hello'_ – thoughts

《Hello》- Greek language

(Many thanks to TheUddonAddict for proofreading this chapter!)

* * *

 **Chapter 11 - Balls of Steel**

Without a shred of hesitation, Harry abruptly turned at 180 degrees and rushed in the opposite direction. When he got out of the crowd, he started to dash madly towards the exit of the platform. When he turned right at the corner of a building he went face first into someone's head.

"Fuck!" he cursed as his forehead throbbed in pain.

Similarly, the other person was also hurt, and looked at him almost tearfully as she rubbed the sore spot on her forehead.

"You!" Harry exclaimed in a biting tone...it was actually the one girl he disliked the most at Hogwarts - it was Lilith!

He would've normally started jeering at her, but she seemed to be with her parents and Harry knew better than to start swearing at her in front of her parents' eyes. Moreover, there was a veeeery angry old wizard hot on his tail; he couldn't afford to waste even a second.

Grabbing his trunk once again, Harry lifted himself up to his feet and broke into a dash not even sparing a glance to the people besides him anymore. He barely made three steps when he felt someone grab him from the back of his scarf, completely stopping his advance.

"Where are your manners, young lad? Is it not normal for one to apologise when bumping like that into someone?" Harry heard a voice asking him in an accentuated English.

The man's hold on his scarf was iron tight so Harry didn't try to struggle his way out, he knew it was pointless. His first thought was to send the man crashing into the wall of the nearby building, but he doubted it would immediately knock him up. After that he'll not only have Dumbledore after his ass but this man too. Hence, he chose to step on his foolish pride and he said through gritted teeth:

"Alright, I'm sorry. Happy? Now let me go."

Lilith's father furrowed his brows at Harry disrespectful attitude, but let go of him. Not wasting a second more, Harry broke again into a run.

《Are you ok, sweetie, does it hurt?》Lilith's mother bent down to Lilith's eye level and asked her.

《It hurts, but I'm alright...but... he was the boy!》Lilith said, almost shouting the last words.

Just then -

"Harry Potter! Stop right there where you are!" a powerful voice thundered startling the family of three and making Harry let out an angry curse under his breath. But he didn't have any other choice but to stop and turn his face towards the owner of the voice.

"What do you want from me, old man?" Harry asked aggressively, totally ignoring Lilith and her parents, only focusing his attention onto Dumbledore who had already drawn out his wand.

"You know very well what I want." Dumbledore said coolly while advancing towards Harry leisurely.

"You want me... Are you perhaps a paedophile?"

At Harry's words, black lines started to appear on Dumbledore's forehead.

"We'll have to correct that foul-mouth and that bad attitude of yours..." the old wizard muttered while trying to stay calm. Apparently Harry was Dumbledore's Achilles' heel. Harry seemed to have a special ability to get under someone's skin and make him purple in the face with anger.

"I can't allow you to run amok. Even before coming at Hogwarts you misused your magic in order to commit all kinds of criminal acts."

*Pah!* Harry spit on the ground before saying with contempt in his voice:

"As if you'd actually give a damn about that. I don't care who fuck you think you are, but you have no rights over me. I'm not going anywhere."

"Let's end this farce, Harry," Dumbledore said as he continued his advance towards Harry "you're too clever not to understand that you stand no chance against me."

Meanwhile Lilith and her parents watched the unfolding scene stupefied. On one side there was Dumbledore, one of the most famous wizards on Earth trying to kidnap a boy...and on the other side there was a young boy who didn't seem to be older than 12 yet he was acting as if he were a hardcore hooligan. His vulgarity and more importantly, his confident attitude was nothing they have ever seen at someone his age before.

"Oh you're right, I'm too clever not to realize I stand no chance against someone like you." Harry said coldly as his right hand went to one of his pockets.

"Your age should make me call you mister, but on the other hand I'd rather call you a bastard! You pile of dog shit! Fuck you! You're supposed to be some sort of venerable figure, the Leader of the Light! ...yet you're bullying an eleven years old child, and you're even acting so righteous about it! Your life must've really been shit! Acting so high and mighty just to steal my freedom, how have you gotten any face to even live? You'd be better off in hell!"

The Greek family was stunned. They'd never seen a small child able to spout so much profanity! And at Harry's biting words Dumbledore was not feeling much better either. But Harry was not done speaking:

"Just so you know, it has never been my intention to fight against you...I'm aware of the fact that someone like me stands no chance against someone of your level."

"I may be just an eleven years old brat to you, but I'm not stupid enough to not understand that I'm probably very precious in your eyes considering how much effort you put into having me under your eyes." Harry continued while he slowly took off his woollen scarf and let it slide on the ground.

His right hand came out of the pocket clasped around a small silver kitchen knife. He rapidly put the silver knife at his own throat, shocking the ones around him and shouted with a slightly crazed voice:

"This is why, shitty geezer, I'm telling you this: make one more step and I'll cut my own throat."

If Dumbledore was stunned by Harry's words before, now he was downright shocked and it looked like he had frozen in place. Even though it was dark outside, at the light of the lampposts it was visible how Dumbledore's face paled. However, he regained his composure right away and began to take slow steps towards Harry while saying:

"There is no need to go that far, Harry. Calm down, you don't want to make a mistake that you won't even be able to regret it afterwards."

In the meantime, Lilith hurriedly told her parents while her face had a pale colour.

《Mum, dad, you have to help him! He's the one who saved me! Please!》Lilith almost shouted in panic when she saw Harry bringing the knife up to his neck.

Harry's hand with the knife trembled and he was sweating profusely. Harry had not had a real intention to actually kill himself, it was just a bluff. But caught in the moment, adrenaline started to rush through his veins and he felt like his fear had been dissipated. Harry knew that his actions could be considered to be over the top, but he also understood that if he didn't take a forceful stance, he would never be truly be free of Dumbledore's grasp. That's why he'd rather choose to be seen as a madman and be free instead of being considered a brilliant genius and living in a golden cage.

However, seeing Harry's hand trembling, Dumbledore believed that Harry was shaking out of fear not because of the adrenaline. He thought that Harry didn't really have the courage to go with it. He took one more step...but then he abruptly stopped when the blade of the knife suddenly pierced the tender skin of Harry's neck and a trickle of blood started to flow.

At the sight of the knife piercing the soft outer skin of Harry's neck, Lilith shrieked in fright and her parents were shocked as well by Harry's actions.

"Put the wand down and back away right now, Dumbledore!" Lilith's father suddenly let a loud shout as he and his wife both pointed their wands at the old wizard's head, red lights beginning to flicker dangerously at their tips. As if he only then became aware of the fact that it wasn't just him and the boy on the side alley, Dumbledore looked to his side a bit startled.

"...Mr. Argyris?" Dumbledore asked in a voice clearly betraying his surprise.

"Indeed. I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but I'm not just going to stay and watch the one who saved my daughter's life committing suicide!"

"You don't understand the situation, Mr. Argyris. You'd better not poke your nose in things that are none of your concern."

Mr. Argyris' face took on an angry visage and his English became even more accentuated when he spoke:

"You take me for an idiot, or what? I do not need to know anything else, it is enough for me just to see that he is willing to kill himself instead of going with you! Are you truly that blind?!"

"I wonder...what would be the reaction of your Minister of Magic if something were to happen with the one who just yesterday saved not just my daughter's life but also that of his son..."

Dumbledore understood the underlying meaning of the Greek wizard's words - even if he took Harry tonight, Mr. Argyris would be the first to go to the Minister to report the situation. And given the fact that Dumbledore truly had no legal authority over the boy especially since he had lost his position as the headmaster of Hogwarts, it was obvious that in the end he would sill not get to keep Harry under his tutelage.

Dumbledore stood and pondered in silence for a few very tense moments. In the meantime Harry's mental fortitude was nearing its end and the adrenaline was fading away. He was barely able to stay calm anymore...He could almost not believe himself that he had actually had the guts to cut himself like that! The chilly wind of the November night blew and Harry felt the cut on his neck starting to flare. He has never been under so much pressure as he was now and the fact that Dumbledore stood motionlessly in the middle of the alley only served to worsen his state of mind.

"I shall leave this matter as it is for tonight." Dumbledore told the Greek wizard before he directed a stern glare at Harry while saying: "However, this is far from over!" And with that he Disapparated from his spot almost soundlessly.

When the old wizard disappeared from Harry's sight, his tense body finally relaxed. The silver kitchen knife fell from his hand creating a metallic clatter at the contact with the asphalt and Harry collapsed on the ground on his knees hyperventilating. His breath was haggard and he was sweating so hard that his clothes immediately became soaked.

"F-Fuck!" Harry cursed through the gasps of his breath.

"Hahaha." he let out a crazed laughter.

"I almost died there, bastard." Harry said letting out another crazed laughter completely devoid of any kind of real amusement.

"Shit!"

"Shit!"

No matter how an outsider looked at it, it was not normal at all for a boy to laugh like that after almost cutting his own throat. And Harry continued to swear at Dumbledore for a few good minutes even if the old man was not present. After his crazy actions and after brushing past death, his mad laughter and the way he was swearing like a sailor were nothing more but his brain releasing the tension which almost overwhelmed him.

Lilith's mother had wanted at first to rush towards the boy who was kneeling on the hard ground hyperventilating, but her husband grabbed her hand and stopped her while shaking his head.

《We'd better leave him to let out all the steam before attempting to talk to him. Right now the boy behaves not unlike a cornered beast. It's impossible to say what kind of reckless actions he might take if we step into his sphere of comfort.》

It took Harry a few good minutes to finally regain his composure, but when he did, he stood up and went right towards the Greek wizard, all the while pressing his hand to the cut of his neck. It was a shallow cut, only the outer skin having been barely pierced, but it still stung like a bitch.

Due to the perilous moments he had just experienced, he didn't care about the fact that in an outsider's eyes he had looked and acted like a madman. He couldn't even bring himself to feel a shred of embarrassment. Harry's thoughts and personality was a rather paradoxical: he was prideful enough to literally risk his neck instead of playing as Dumbledore 'sang' but now he didn't give a damn about the fact that he made a fool out of himself because after all, it was for his own survival what he did.

Now that the critical moment had passed, Harry wanted nothing else than to get the hell away from there and hole himself away. However, he was not one to ignore someone's benevolence and although Harry acted most of the time like a selfish bastard, he would always express his gratitude.

"Thank you very much for your help, sir, I'm very grateful. I don't know how to repay your kindness, but I have a good amount of gold, I could-"

But Harry didn't get to finish his words as Mrs. Argyris interrupted him:

"I don't even want to hear about that," she said categorically "but if you feel unsatisfied and really want to somehow repay us...all I ask of you is to have dinner with us tonight!"

Harry's demeanour immediately changed and he momentarily ignored the sting coming from the cut on his neck, his attention focusing entirely on the three foreigners in front of him. He couldn't help but grow tense and suspect that he might have actually metaphorically fallen from the frying pan into the fire. But despite his paranoiac tendencies, he understood there's a chance that they do not mean him any harm. After all, they did save his ass from Dumbledore just then.

He studied their facial expressions carefully for a few moments, silently pondering about the real reasons the beautiful woman in front of him had. Sensing that the boy didn't trust them, Mrs. Argyris lifted her wand with the intent to heal the cut on his neck. Harry stiffened and tensed ready to pounce, but before having the chance to do something stupid, he heard a whispered incantation:

"Episkey."

Harry felt an itchy sensation on his neck and he was startled to realize that the cut was closed up in an instant. Besides the blood that has started to coagulate around the place where the small wound had been, there wasn't anything else to suggest that there had been a fresh cut just a moment before.

* * *

AN: Don't kill me for the tittle of the chapter lol


	12. Chapter 12 - Unexpected Offer

AN:

"Hello" – normal talk

 _'Hello'_ – thoughs

(Many thanks to TheUddonAddict for proofreading this chapter!)

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

"So what are you going to do now that Hogwarts has been closed?" Mr. Argyris asked amiably a clearly uncomfortable looking Harry Potter.

After Lilith's mother healed the small cut he had inflicted upon himself, Harry's weariness of them went down a notch. In the end, despite his natural predisposition to paranoia, Harry accepted Mrs. Argyris' offer of dining with them...and that led to his current predicament.

The Argyris family was an old pureblood wizarding family in Greece. Even among the other Greek purebloods, the Argyris' importance was very similar to what was that of the Blacks in UK, but their status was even more special due to some circumstances. To cut it short, the Argyris were wealthy...as in extremely wealthy. Because of that, regardless of where they went, what they did and so on, they would never take anything but the best. Hence, what in Harry's mind should have been a dinner at McDonald's had been turned in fact into a dinner at a 5 stars muggle restaurant.

When he entered the restaurant, Harry's first impression was 'Someone like me doesn't belong here'. And from then on, the awkwardness he felt only continued to increase. Until the ordered food came, the mood was pretty tense and they barely any words were exchanged among the group.

Having picked on Harry's discomfort at being in such a place, Mrs. Argyris told her daughter and husband using the Greek language to not order anything fancy and limit themselves at some more casual dishes. Despite the shocking scene she had just witnessed minutes before, in Mrs. Argyris heart there was only gratitude towards Harry and not even an ounce of weariness or other negative feelings. That's why she gave her best to make Harry feel at ease.

Eventually the food arrived. Agreeing with Mrs. Argyris suggestion, they all ordered dishes like soup, fried chicken and chips. The waiter had been a tad surprised to see their choices when he had taken the order but it was not his place to comment.

Normally, Harry would have ravenously begun to dig in, but the atmosphere in the restaurant held him back. When he saw Lilith's father eating the fried chicken using the fork and the knife, he tried to do the same...only to cause a clatter of metal hitting porcelain as he dropped the fork from his left hand.

A few heads turned towards their table and Harry felt a wave of heat rising to his neck and from there to his cheeks. His face was burning and he couldn't help lowering his head in embarrassment.

"I-I'm not that hungry." Harry said weakly after his blush subsided...only for his stomach to magnificently demonstrate a whale's call and roar.

When Lilith saw Harry's awkwardness and the way he clumsily dropped the fork she was just about to burst into laughter. It was only her father's pointed glance and her manners that made it possible for her to control herself. But when his stomach growled after he said that he wasn't hungry, Lilith almost choked with her soup and cracked with tears falling from her eyes because of laughter. She wasn't the only one - despite their efforts to stay composed, Mr. and Mrs. Argyris also joined their daughter bursting in laughter. To them it was like watching a live comedy play starring a country bumpkin as its protagonist. It was humanly impossible not to laugh!

When the three Greeks burst into laughter Harry felt like wanting to dig a hole somewhere and bury himself in it. Remember that time when Nott walked in his room while he was stomping two letters on the floor like a mentally deranged man? The embarrassment he felt back then was nothing to what he was feeling right now.

When they finished laughing, Mr. Argyris put the fork and the knife down and unmindful of the rest of the people in the restaurant, he took a chicken wing directly into his hand and began to eat. Lilith and her mother understood Mr. Argyris' action and they also stopped eating according to the etiquette.

Harry was not an idiot. Although he had no manners whatsoever, he understood that it was rather degrading for someone to eat like ruffians in such an environment. The fact that the Mr. Argyris actually lowered himself to Harry's level just so he wouldn't feel too uncomfortable and estranged meant a lot to him. With that most of Harry's tension and suspicions towards him vanished and he also began to eat from his plate.

"We haven't had the chance to properly introduce ourselves." Lilith's father said breaking the silence.

"My name is Hector Argyris and this is my lovely wife Galatea. As for our daughter, her name is Lilith, but I suppose you already knew that."

Mr. Argyris wiped his hands with a handkerchief and his face turned serious, almost solemn.

"In the name of my entire family, I want to thank for saving my daughter's life!" he said sincerely, looking straight into Harry's life.

"My daughter and my wife are the most precious things I have in my life...if I were to lose one of them, I'd be devastated. You didn't only save Lilith's life yesterday, you also saved mine. Thank you!"

Having an old man (from Harry's point of view) expressing his heartfelt gratitude so directly left Harry stumped for words. It was certainly a first for him. Until then, he has had only hostile relationships with the adults in his life - the nuns at the orphanage treated him horribly, the landlord at the place where he used to live was a greedy money-grubber, he considered Dumbledore a scumbag and the adults he used to interact with on the streets were either suckers from which he stole or vultures which would attempt to steal the money he stole from others. Considering that, it was not a surprise that Harry didn't know how to react when faced with a middle-aged man expressing his gratitude.

While Harry stood silent, Lilith spoke to Harry for the first time in that evening:

"You know, when a wizard or witch saves another wizard's or witch's life, a magical bond is created." she said with a hint of nervousness in her voice. "Maybe bond is a too strength of a-"

"Strong. It's strong not strength." Mrs. Argyris corrected her while smiling in amusement at the sight of the rising blush of embarrassment on her daughter's face.

Lilith directed a glare at her mother before trying to fight down the heat that seemed to have risen to her cheeks.

"A-As I was saying...maybe bond is a too strong of a word. But there is clearly something like a contract that is born between the rescuer and the rescued - it's called a life debt."

"A contract?" Harry asked while narrowing his eyes the white-haired girl in suspicion. While his first impression of her parents was very good, his impression of Lilith was very bad - not only she tried to manipulate him when they met for the first time, she also threatened him to expose the fact that he was somehow involved into Marcus Flint's death.

"It's nothing disadvantageous for you." Lilith added rapidly when she saw his reaction.

"Basically, since you saved my life, my magic will force me eventually to also save your life or to do you a great service in the future. It's something impossible to resist against."

It was the first time Harry has heard about something like this, but it was not surprising given the fact the he had been in contact with the magical world for only a little more than three months.

"Harry?" Galatea's gentle voice shook Harry from his thoughts.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Can I call you Harry?"

"Yeah, it's ok."

"Alright, but don't ever let me hear you call me "ma'am", do I look that old to you?" Galatea asked while smiling at him.

Despite having Athena's protection against all kinds of mind-altering spells, Harry still felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of the enchanting smile of the older woman.

"N-No." he said a bit flustered before regaining his composure. "Then what should I call you?"

"You can call me and my husband by our first names, alright?"

Harry was not comfortable with calling them like that. Since when have they become so chummy with him? They were just some strangers with whom he had just met an hour ago. But he thought that it would be less of a hassle to not contradict her. It wasn't like they were ever going to see each other again since Harry was planning on disappearing from wizarding kind's radar for at least until he managed to enrol himself into a different magical school abroad. And Greece obviously was not going to be his destination since there weren't any magical schools in there. So he decided to only nod his head in agreement.

"What I want to ask of you Harry, is what are you going to do from now on? I mean now that Hogwarts was closed and that your parents are not...alive anymore...where are you going to stay? Will you be fine by yourself?"

"I'll manage, miss. I've been living on my own ever since I was 8." Harry said a bit stiffly as he started to suspect were was the conversation heading to.

Sensing the subtle change in Harry's attitude, Hector intervened.

"We don't want to take your freedom as you had put it to Dumbledore. We only wish to offer you an optimal environment for you to grow up in peace, without having to worry about things which a child should never even think about."

"I don't need anyone's pity." Harry said while starting to become agitated.

"Besides," Harry continued "why would a bunch of strangers like you want to take in someone like me? Your daughter told me that you had checked up my background... you should be aware that I'm not a goody-two-shoes kind of person. As an eight years old child, how do you think I managed to survive by myself to this day? Do you think I sold flowers to the people that passed by the churches every Sunday? Or do you think I've ever begged anyone for help? I haven't."

"If you hadn't deduced what kind of person I am from the information you had learned about me, then what happened less than two hours ago should have told you to at least be wary." Harry said straightforwardly, not beating around the bush.

Hearing Harry's mature words, the way Hector looked at him changed. In his eyes, Harry's image went from being a mature but crazy eleven years old boy to being a dangerous and ambitious freak. Yes, freak, that's the word that described the best the boy in front of him. No other eleven years old would have that kind of thinking - because now Hector realized that Harry's threat of killing himself was not something it came to him in the spur of the moment but something that was planned beforehand should things go south. Having the guts to take such a risk and having the mental fortitude to actually go with it was nothing short of amazing...and scary if you asked him.

"We're not doing this out of pity." Hector said after stopping his train of thought. "You might not appreciate this offer of ours that much and you might not see it as something precious, but in fact, accepting it would radically change your life. This way we could repay the debt Lilith owes you. I'm not saying this to praise myself, but I dare say that it's nearly impossible to find a household with living conditions better than what I can provide."

"Under my family's care you would surely become great. Frankly said, there are no slouches in the Argyris family. Although it may sound like boasting to you, I'm only stating some facts: Galatea and I are highly accomplished researchers in adapting muggle technology to the magical population's daily life, my brother is the Ministry of Magic in Greece, my father is a wandmaker and my daughters are outstanding as well: Lilith, as you know, despite being your age has been enrolled directly into the second year at Hogwarts and she is also a prodigy when it comes to Conjuration which students don't normally have the ability to cast before the age of 15. I also have another daughter who right now is apprenticed to an expert in Ancient Runes and Charms to deepen her knowledge and finish her first invention - a revolutionary device that I'm certain it would change the daily life of the wizarding world. And at the roots of our success has always been the high quality of the magical education we have received and the large amount of effort we have put into studying. "

"You have nothing to lose by agreeing to let us take care of you." Galatea also added softly while looking at Harry with a gaze that he found slightly uncomfortable due to its gentleness.

Hearing Mr. Argyris argument, to say that Harry wasn't to swayed would be a lie. If even half of the things Lilith's father said were true, then there was great chance he would become exceptional as well - and that's what he had started to wish for ever since his old dream of becoming rich had been fulfilled.

Harry didn't lie to himself by saying that he actually liked going back on the streets...sure, the present situation was not the same with that from three years ago; he was rich. But showing off his wealth at his age was almost like asking the so-called vultures to strip him clean of everything. It would only invite endless trouble. Going back on the streets would mean that he'll have to continue living modestly...and truth being told, Harry kind of got used to the comfortable living conditions at Hogwarts.

Harry laced his fingers and supported his chin on his hands as he continued to ponder Hector's words.

'Except for that little bitch, Mr. and Mrs. Argyris seem to pretty nice. And they also saved my arse today...according to them I could also leave a life free of worries and improve my magic much faster under their tutelage... there don't seem to be any logical reasons for me to refuse. It's also highly unlikely for them to wish me harm since I saved their daughter's life. Moreover, if they had anything against me, they wouldn't have intervened between me and the shitty old fart...as for my money, from what they said they should be many times wealthier than me - the fact that the old bastard knew who Mr. Argyris was from just a glance and actually chose to let me go for the moment means that he truly is an important figure - which only works to solidify his claims.'

Harry closed his eyes for a few moments analysing deeply his decision. This was not something one should decide so hurriedly.

"So how do we do this?" Harry said in the end eliciting a smile from both Hector and Galatea and strangely (from Harry's point of view) even from Lilith.

* * *

AN: Expect a time skip after this chapter.


	13. Chapter 13 - The Argyris

AN:

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 13 - The Argyris**

On a seemingly devoid of civilization coastline in Northern Norway it was snowing heavily. It was pitch black outside and one had to focus profusely in order to see the outline of the nearby forest of conifers. It was a desolate place; beautiful but desolate...at least that's how it looked like in an ordinary Muggle's eyes.

Right at the outskirts of the eternally green forest, hidden from all the strangers' prying eyes, an absolutely different scene was unfolding: a two story wooden chalet was bathing the surroundings in a golden light that came through the wide windows. It was luxuriously decorated with Christmas ornaments and in front of the chalet, a 30 feet tall fir tree was piercing the skies proudly, seemingly completely unaffected by the strong winds that blew from above the Arctic Ocean. The Christmas tree was also glamorously decorated with all kinds of beautiful ornaments made of charmed ice of different colours and with even glowing fairies were sitting on its branches; moreover, every time the snowflakes were about to fall onto the Christmas tree, they evaporated upon touching an invisible barrier of heat that surrounded the tree like a cloak.

It was a magical sight and let alone Muggles, even wizards would be mesmerized at such a sight.

Suddenly, all the lights were killed and the surroundings were plunged into darkness. A clamour of voices could be heard afterwards.

"Come on, father, do you really have what it takes do this? You know very well just how draining this spell is and frankly, you're not getting any younger." a man said with a deep voice.

"Nonsense, I dare say I'm still in my prime." replied the voice of an older man.

"Your prime?" the first voice laughed "You're already...what? 96 years old? HAHA."

"You brat..."

"Would you two idiots cut it out? And make some light for Merlin's sake." a voice belonging to a female was heard and two audible gulps could be heard afterwards.

"Lumos!" the two male voices said at the same time and the surrounding darkness was banished by the white lights coming from the tips of the two wands.

At the pale light of the spells, a group of 6 people could be seen exiting the chalet. They were all dressed in very thick clothes and everyone's facial features were partly hidden by the thick mufflers and the large and furry hats they wore. They were 4 adults and two children - two women, two men, a girl and a boy.

"This is the last time I'm saying this: are you sure it's fine for you to do this? I'm willing to bet that 3 centuries old bottle of wine from my private stash that you'll be sleeping like a dead pig tomorrow!" said the middle-aged male in a provocative manner.

"Ha!" the older man exclaimed "Hear that folks? Well, they all heard you, Hector, don't you dare to back away when you'll lose tomorrow or I'll kick your ass to the moon and back! I bet you're the one who's going to be sleeping like a sloth all day long tomorrow. I'm wagering the present I'm going to get from Helen just so you-" was what the old man said before a skilfully charmed snowball smashed into his face immediately shutting him up.

The old man turned his face towards the attacker and instead of righteous anger, a meek expression surfaced on his face.

"I think the wind blew too hard and I didn't hear too well what you just said.." the stern female voice from before spoke again.

"Haha, it was just a joke, Helen, just a joke, I swear!"

Hoping to defuse the situation by quickly ending the conversation, the old man turned his face towards Hector and said with a red face while trying to ignore the twinkle of laughter that came from the rest of the present people:

"Alright! If I lose - though that's not going to happen - I'm going to give you THAT chocolate frog card!"

"You mean THAT card?!" Hector asked back with a great deal of enthusiasm.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going to give you Andros the Invincible, but that only IF you win. Don't get too cocky brat, even when I'll be 180 years old, I'll still be able to kick your arse."

"Sure, that's why the score is 2965-2964 in my favour?" Hector slyly asked.

Another round of laughter came from everyone and they all looked in amusement at the old man who started to sputter at Hector's smug words. But when they regained their bearings, the two men didn't continue their bantering. Instead, the four adults closed the distance and and positioned themselves into a circle. Then, with their wands tightly clenched in their hands, they all lifted them towards the clouds-covered sky and shouted in unison:

"Partis Temporous Maxima!"

A powerful ripple coming from the tips of the four wands distorted the air above the four and a small maelstrom was born out of nowhere before being shaped into a sphere of highly compressed air of the size of 20 feet in diameter. They held the spell for almost two minutes, all the while struggling to compress the sphere of air even more! Beads of sweat started to drop from their forheads despite the bitting cold outside and their breathing started to become laborious. The sphere of wind was compressed to the point that it reached the size of a basketball and it looked like it was about to burst at any time.

"NOW!" the old man shouted out loud and the four of them released the spell at the same time, the sphere bolting upwards like a rocket. A sonic boom was heard and in an instant the sphere of compressed air disappeared from everyone's eyes. Only a few moments later, a deafening explosion shook the skies a few miles above them and even the ground trembled due to the shockwaves it released.

The unfolding scene was spectacular! With his mouth wide open in disbelief, the boy - Harry Potter - watched with amazement clearly written on his face how the repelling force of the explosion violently scattered away all the clouds visible on a radius of almost a hundred miles!

The previously pitch black sky was now devoid of any clouds, the moon was shining brightly and a myriad of starts illuminated the winter night sky with their gentle light. However, that wasn't what deprived Harry of his ability to speak due to amazement - high up in the sky, a stunning haze of red and green intertwined with blue and yellow was basking the Earth with its light.

It was the first time Harry had ever seen the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis.

Harry was not a sensible person and he has never spent any of his time before to admire the nature. But in that moment, his heart felt overwhelmed by the beauty of the Northern Lights. It was a magical sight...it was magic beyond the magic humans used.

In the Argyris family there was a strong belief that Christmas will never truly feel like Christmas if there is no snow and if there is no true winter. But winters in Greece were warm and rainy...it seldom snowed and even if by some miracle it did, it melted right away. That was the reason why almost two hundred years ago their great-grandparents bought a plot of land from Frederick IV, the king of the united Denmark and Norway at that time, and built a luxurious chalet to spend their winter holidays there.

The spell that dispersed the clouds in the sky has been created at that time as well and it became a tradition for the family to cast it every year on Christmas and on the night of the New Year.

But today was the Christmas Eve and they wouldn't normally cast the spell at this time given how draining it was on their magic reserves. However, they did it this night as well just for Harry's sake, to see his amazed expression and his gaze filled with emotion at the sight of the brilliant northern lights. And indeed, while Harry was still admiring at the sky in awe, the Argyris all looked at him with warm and proud smiles on their faces.

 _Scene break_

It was already a month since Hardy started living with the Greek family and Harry could sincerely say that it was probably the best month in his entire life. And it certainly was not an exaggeration, Hector had not falsely boasted about the excellent living conditions.

Greece has over 6000 islands of which only a few hundred are inhabited. The Argyris Manor is located on one of the uninhabited islands.

When Harry arrived at the manor, he was stupefied. What he saw was nothing short of a Paradise, even on TV he hadn't seen anything that beautiful. Maybe only the luxurious beaches in Bora-Bora came anywhere close to it.

The Argyris owned a tiny archipelago consisting of 3 small islands with none of them being larger than 10 square miles. The islands were very close to each other, at only a few hundred feet away one from another. They were positioned in a triangle like fashion and in the middle of them the water was so shallow that it didn't pass 20 feet in depth. It was crystal clear to the point that one would even be able to start counting the grains of sand below the water.

On the largest of the three islands (though they were similar in size), a beautiful manor was built. It was a white pillar house with a facade reminiscent of the ancient Greek Temples. Its foundation was deeply rooted into the rocky terrain and the manor was surrounded by numerous plane trees and oaks. The elegant white manor surrounded by the eternal green trees in the middle of the island gave off a picturesque vibe and Harry couldn't help sighing in admiration.

His first thought was that he'd never be able to get used to such a luxurious life, but after two weeks or so, he became more comfortable with it. The Argyris themselves were also a nice bunch. Hector's parents lived together with him at the manor and there was a harmonious relationship between them and his wife and daughter.

Iason Argyris was a 96 years old man, but just by taking count of his appearance, he didn't look a day older than 60. He was a grey-haired man, over 6 feet tall. He had a red face full of vigour and his burly body gave off the impression of a grizzly bear. His handshake was especially vicious and Harry thought that the old man had wanted to snap his wrist when they shook hands the first time.

Hector, his son, seemed a bit more refined and had an aura of an intellectual gentleman most of the time...but that was only when he wasn't together with his father, Iason. Every morning when they saw each other a spark of competitiveness ignited in their eyes and it most of the time led to them competing in something after betting various things on their win. It was a scene that happened every single day, but to Harry it never got old seeing the two old men quarrelling every day like Tom & Jerry did.

Harry still didn't like Lilith and tried to spend as less time as possible with her, but apparently the white-haired girl had a knack for finding him and interrupting him from whatever he was doing every time he was alone. At some point Harry gave away all the pretence and started to hide away from her in the woods surrounding the manor and after just a week, despite his apparent annoyance, Harry actually began to enjoy it - or at least that's what Athena thought (much to Harry's ire since he didn't want to admit that he had started to grow closer to Lilith). After all, it was kind of fun to play hide and seek on a Mediterranean island, especially since he had not spent his time being so innocent ever since he was 8.

Galatea was like a sunshine, always smiling brightly. She had a passion for making refreshments and when she and Hector were not deeply buried in their research, she never missed the chance to make them. Seeing the happy smiles on her family members faces was one of the best things in life for her. Just looking at her enchanting smiling face, Harry had a very hard time imagining how would she look like when she was angry. He almost doubted that the beautiful middle-aged woman could ever get angry, that's how gentle her temperament was. It was a far cry from how the nuns from the orphanage used to treat the children in their care.

Lastly, Helen Argyris was the actual boss in the family and she was also the one on whose bad side Harry felt weary of being. Harry felt something similar to what he did when he met professor McGonagall for the first time - that she was not someine whom he could afford to cross. Helen was an old woman, with short shoulder-length white hair styled in a bob cut and blue eyes that still sparkled despite her age. Although she was over 90 years old, her back was still straight and her body slim. Even the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and on her forehead didn't hide the fact that she must have been a very beautiful woman when she was young. Even now, despite being over 90 years old, her appearance would make a stranger think that she was merely in her fifties.

But what made Harry be wary of her was her stern and no nonsense attitude. She was in fact the one who kept in check the entire family. If left to their own devices, Hector and Galatea would spend all their time in their research lab on one of the islands forgetting even to sleep, Lilith would be eating ice-cream and gliding lazily with a boat on the water while reading a book all day long and Iason would be swimming and playing with his small herd of winged horses, or drinking wine and staring at his collection of Chocolate Frog Cards the entire day without doing anything productive. Helen was the one of whom everyone listened and even to the 5 House-Elves their family owned, she had the highest standing.

But to Harry's surprise, despite her stern and apparently cold attitude Helen welcomed him with just as much good will as the rest of the family. And it was starting with that moment that Harry finally begun to realise what having a family meant.

Having grown up on the streets amongst various people, Harry has witnessed all kinds of things a small child should have not. Before coming to Hogwarts he'd witnessed two people being stabbed to death and many others beaten to an inch of their lives, sometimes even for petty reasons such for passing through another one's turf. While Harry was not at the point where he treated people's lives as if they were flies, he still didn't think too much of them. Unless he was involved in the incident, hearing that someone got brutally beaten or even killed would only elicit a shrug of his shoulders. His reaction to this kind of things was like that of a normal person when he heard that a stray dog had been run over by a truck. He would think _'Poor bastard'_ and then his thoughts would jump to something else without batting an eyelid. He was that indifferent.

That's why, Harry felt confused at the Argryis' attitude at him. Despite knowing that he had lived as a thief and that he was basically a street rat, he only saw gentleness and gratitude in their eyes when they gazed at him. Moreover, they made sure to include him in everything they did and spoke with him every day, not wanting to let him feel left out.

Harry felt like he didn't deserve it seeing as he could've cared less whether Lilith had survived or not the troll's attack. After all, he killed the troll with the intent of saving Dan's life and even that haplened only after being coaxed by Athena's wise words. Had it not been for Dan, he would have just turned his back on the collapsed girl at that time. He had not even known that the purple-haired girl had actually been Lilith.

Until meeting the Argyris, Harry had not seen anyone to hold such a deep care and love for someone else and he had not known that having a family would be like that. In his young heart, a wish to one day build his own family blossomed and he started to think about things that he had never considered before: could he be considered a good man? Would he be able to make his future family as happy as Hector managed to do it? Would he love them? Thinking of the last question Harry realized that he didn't even know what meant to love or to care for someone. It was a foreign concept to him, that's why he had been that indecisive about whether it was worth it or not to risk his life in order to save Dan or not. Regarding the other questions he had asked himself, Harry knew the answers very well...he was seriously lacking. But he was still just an 11 years old boy, there was plenty of time for him to change - or at least that's what Athena told Harry to reassure him.

* * *

AN:

(This chapter has not been proofread by my beta, sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)


	14. Chapter 14 - Bonding

AN:

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello_ ' - thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 14 - Bonding**

With a mug of hot chocolate Harry was sitting on a very comfortable sofa. He was sipping small mouthfuls of the sweet liquid while having a very interesting discusion with the oldest of the Argyris.

"As I was saying, what occurred back then is a mystery for me as well. In all my years I have only heard some rumours. This is the first time I got the facts from the very person who witnessed the real situation. Fascinating!" the old man exclaimed not even trying to hide his excitement.

"But...you should at least have some ideas about what really happened, right?" Harry asked eagerly, Iason's enthusiasm starting to affect him as well. "I mean when I was at Ollivander's I tried at least 150 wands and the best reaction I got was almost burning down his entire shop."

A boisterous laughter escaped from the old wizard's throat at Harry's words and even Helen who was sitting near the fireplace with a book in her hands cracked a smile at the defeated look on Harry's face when he recalled the incident.

"What do you know about wands, Harry?" Iason asked after his laughter subsided. The expression on his face was unnaturally serious and Lilith and her mother who were playing a game of Muggle cards on the carpet in front of the fireplace both groaned at the same time.

"Now you did it, Harry." Galatea said while trying to stifle a laugh.

Lilith was much more unreserved:

"Have fun. Hopefully you'll be let off before the dawn."

At Lilith's words her mother burst into a fit of giggles and the usual stern Helen also sent a teasing smile Harry.

Now he was definitely scared.

Harry turned his head toward Iason and shoot a furtive glance at his face trying to gauge his expression. The normally jovial and grinning face was replaced by an intense look burning with passion!

At that sight Harry had an ominous feeling in his gut and his first thought was _'Run!'_. But he didn't even have the chance to do it - when he tried to get up it was almost like his pants have been interwoven with the material of the sofa, they became one single object. Harry did not even know when did Iason cast the spell, the old man had not even used his wand!

Galatea, Lilith and even Helen stealthily sneaked out of the living room of the chalet, but after existing through the door their laughter reached Harry's ears.

"S-Sir?" Harry stuttered.

 _Scene break_

Three hours later it was the middle of the night. Exhausted by the very draining spell they casted that evening to clear up the sky, Hector, Galatea and Helen were all sleeping deeply. Iason had also gone to bed, leaving only Harry and Lilith in the living room, the two teenagers not being in the mood to sleep.

Athough to Lilith having to listen to her grandfather's ramblings about wands was akin to being tortured, she eventually returned to the living room to hear his conversation with Harry because she was very curious as well about why had her wand accepted Harry's touch. Even though that had saved her life, after the danger passed Lilith felt betrayed and some doubts began to grow in her heart every time she glanced at her elegant ivory white wand. However, after hearing which were her grandfather's thoughts about her wand's behaviour, Lilith's opinion of her wand soared back and she started to cherish it even more than before.

Apparently, in Iason's opinion there were two reasons that stood at the roots of Lilith's wand's behaviour: first of all, wands are semi-sentient. Her wand having one of her mother's hairs as its core only served to make Lilith's connection with the wand even stronger, and her mother's affection and desire to keep her safe was ingrained even in that strand of hair! In short, the wand **_chose_** to let Harry use it in order to protect her owner. (1)

The second reason was simpler. The wands that had a Veela's hair as their core were known by all the wandmakers as being moody and very temperamental. Sometimes they would overcharge a spell and sometimes they would lessen its effects. Because of this unpredictability most wandmakers avoided using Veela hair in crafting wands. Even if a wizard had a very good control over his emotions, he would still not be able to "tame" the wand. No, in fact the wand would react to their bidding even worse. Wands with Veela hair as their core needed to feel the wizard's raw emotions in order to connect with him. Moreover, the wielder of the wand had to have a close connection with the one from whom the core of the wand came.

All the above mentioned prerequisites made it almost impossible for a random witch or wizard to get the approval of wands with Vella hair as their core. Most of time said wands were custom made for the ones that had a Veela in their family or had a very close friendship with one. And it was because of those conditions that it was a miracle that Lilith's wand had reacted to Harry. It had been the wand's desire to help its owner that had allowed Harry to use it. The fact that Harry also had a volcanic temperament only strengthened their connection.

 _Scene break_

The conversation he had with the old wizard broadened Harry's horizons even more. He realized that his outlook on the magic world was still frustratingly narrow and despite the women's laughter and teasing remarks beforehand, he had actually enjoyed his discussion with Iason...or it had been the Gorgoneion's assistance that made him think that way? ...Harry decided to leave this mystery unsolved.

But now it was the middle of the night and he was alone in the large living room with the white-haired girl of whom he used to think that she was just a spoiled bitch until not long ago. Ever since Harry has started living with the Greek family, this was the first time he and Lilith have been left alone by themselves in a room. He didn't know what could they possibly talk. In fact even with Dan and Gwen he wouldn't really know what to talk about. Their socializing had mostly consisted of them annoying the heck out of him and him snapping back at them.

Having no friends since he had left the orphanage made Harry not know how to socialize with the ones around him. He didn't know what to talk even with a boy of his age, let alone a girl. He didn't like cars, he seldom watched movies, he was not a Quidditch fan (he has never even had the opportunity to ride a broom) and he didn't have the smallest amount of information regarding the celebrities of the wizardint world. He had once liked reading comics but aside from that Harry had no other particular hobbies except for...stealing.

 _'Yep, definitely something good to talk with a girl.'_

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration at his own lack of social skills. During the month at the Argyris Harry's opinion of Lilith has gradually changed. He didn't see her as an arrogant bitch anymore, she was acting just like any other girl of her age. Moreover, her family was very nice to him and Lilith herself tried to get closer to him. Although Harry was the type of person to hold grudges, he was not blind to all the good her family did to him. In his book, not only her "sin" had been scratched, Harry even felt indebted.

In the end, Harry helplessly picked Helen's discarded book from the sofa near the fireplace - fact which led to him unknowingly come closer to Lilith. Trying to seem natural, Harry started to skim through the book's pages.

"Are you not going to sleep?" the girl's sweet voice broke the silence and Harry looked at her.

Dressed up in her blue PJs, Lilith was hugging her knees to her chest while sitting in the sofa near the fireplace, across Harry. Her long and lustrous white hair was flickering with orange and red at the light of the fire and her angelic face face was resting on her knees as she looked Harry.

Seeing her like that, it was as if he was transfixed and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Harry felt a wave of heat rushing up to his face before he almost jumped up and said with an accusatory voice in embarrassment:

"You did that again!"

"No, I didn't!" Lilith said with a start only then noticing that her control over her allure had slipped off.

"Yes, you did!"

"Alright, alright, I'm guilty. Happy now? It's not like I can always be in control of it, even mother's allure slips off from her control from time to time!" Lilith tried to defend herself after she got caught in the act.

"Then back then in the train it was also your control simply slipping off?" Harry asked shrewdly.

"That..."

A momentary silence reigned between the two of them before Harry said again:

"Come to think again, your family is filthy rich. You even have your own freaking archipelago! How come you didn't have one sicle to buy the shit you wanted?"

Lilith frowned at Harry's vulgar way of speech but it has already been a month since they lived together so she more or less learned to be more tolerant to it.

"My parents don't give me too much money..."

"Huh? Why not?!" Harry asked perplexed.

"Hmpf, how should I know why are they so stingy? I can only guess... Maybe don't want me to get used to getting easy money. Or maybe it's that they don't want me to become spoiled like most of the children in pureblood families are-"

"More spoiled and bitchy than you already are?" Harry interrupted her with a grin.

"You..!"

It took Lilith every ounce of self-control to not pounce on Harry and hang him with some conjured ropes from the ceiling...until she realized that that was the exact behaviour of a spoiled rich girl that is used to always have her way. Her cheeks heated up and she buried her face into her knees, not saying anything in return anymore.

A strangely comfortable silence followed afterwards and Harry got back to reading the Table of Contents of the book.

"I never thanked you personally for savin my life back then." Lilith said softly and Harry started to feel uncomfortable. He was stillnot used to people expressing his gratitude towards him.

"I didn't know it was you back then." Harry said.

"Even so, it doesn-" Lilith tried to retort before Harry continued:

"If I did I-"

Regardless of how thick-skined Harry could be, even he didn't dare to continue when he saw the heated glare the white-haired girl directed at him.

Another moment of silence followed and Harry resumed his reading hoping that Lilith won't try chatting with him again and spare him the awkwardness.

"I'm sorry." a mumble was heard.

"What was that?" Harry put down the book and asked as if he didn't catch on the first time what Lilith said.

"I said I am sorry!" said Lilith louder this time and her cheeks were so red that you'd say she was having a fever.

"Sorry for what?" Harry asked in what Lilith perceived as genuine surprise.

"S-Sorry for what I did back then in the train." Lilith barely managed to stutter.

"Oh!" Harry hummed noncommittally and proceeded to ignore her, only to feel her glaring dagger at him afterwards.

"What?!" he asked her after getting exasperated with feeling her burning holes in his head with her glares.

"You're supposed to say you're sorry as well!" Lilith said equally exasperated.

"Sorry for what?"

"What do you mean by that? For hitting me, of course!" Lilith almost shouted at him.

"Ah, that? But I don't feel sorry at all." said Harry shrugging carelessly making Lilith's face become blank.

"You...you really are just an asshole!" Lilith said before storming out of the living room, mumbling in anger to herself as she left: "I don't even know why I like him!"

By chance, Harry managed to hear her...

 _'She likes me? Weren't I just a homeless and rude barbarian? Why would she like me?'_ Harry asked himself, in bewilderment. He couldn't understand her...they used to hate each other until just a few weeks ago and they only recently began to act civil towards each other. At least that's what it was for Harry and he assumed that it was the same case for Lilith as well.

What Harry didn't know nor could he understand even if being told, was that at that age a girl's heart was easily impressionable. An 11 years old girl having her life saved after seeing death coming with her own eyes was bound to develop at least a small crush towards her saviour regardless of how bad he might be. It was the typical damsel in distress scenario.

But Harry had no clues about such things. His socials skills and his understanding of human relationships were pitiful. Ever since he was 8 his relationships with other people were resumed at "I'm going to steal from that lady", "I should avoid that thug" and "Let's see how can I scam that greedy landlord this time." Friendships and relationships with the opposite sex? He only recently came in contact with these things. In these matters Harry was not much different than a 3 years old child.

* * *

AN:

(1) It is something similar to what happened in the canon in Deathly Hollows when Harry's wand conjured a golden flame by itself in order to protect him from Voldemort. Wands trully are semi-sentient after all.

(This chapter has been proofread only by me, sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)


	15. Chapter 15 - Family

AN:

"Hello" - normal talk

 _"Hello" -_ Athena talking

 _'Hello_ ' - thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 15 - Family**

 _MINISTER MARTLESHAM'S EDUCATIONAL REFORM_

 _As you all know, Minister Martlesham saw fit 5 months ago to end all the activities at Hogwarts. The reason for that was very just seeing as due to the former headmaster's carelessness and incompetence there were many hidden dangers inside the school. But our dear Minister has never intended for Hogwarts to remain closed forever. Instead, he decided to reform the educational system and to make it the Ministry's job to supervise the school. Therefore the positions of governors of Hogwarts will cease to exist, or rather, they will be filled with the Ministry's officials. All the governors removed from their positions complained and protested against the decision, with Lucius Malfoy being one of the most vocal of them. However, Minister Martlesham remained firm and unmoved in his decision, showing no signs of agreeing to any kind of compromises when it comes to our children's safety._

 _"Hogwarts is the finest institution of magical education in the world - at least that what the everyone likes to think. Hogwarts is the safest place in Great Britain - this is another one of the catchphrases we like to believe in. However, I'm not pleased at all to say that those are nothing but lies!" - the Minister boldly declared into a public interview in the middle of the Ministry's Atrium._

 _"As you all know," he continued "a student was mauled to death by a gigantic Cerberus and other 3 students were then almost killed not even two weeks after that by a troll. And people think that Hogwarts is the safest place in Great Britain? What a bad joke! Besides that, there are 10 other magical schools of the same tier as Hogwarts. However, people think that Hogwarts tops them all? Think again after you hear what I'm about to tell you."_

 _"At the moment, the school with the best overall academic results out of all 11 is in fact Mahoutokoro from Japan. Besides their academic prowess they also excel in Quidditch having literally some of the best players in the world._

 _Drumstrang is the best in the world when it comes to Dueling and Defence Against the Dark Arts._

 _Uagadou from Africa excels at Astronomy, Alchemy and Self-Transfiguration - yes, you heard that well, at the end of their schooling, over 20% of the graduating students become registered Animagus! Moreover, they all use only wandless magic! (1)_

 _Then there is Castelobruxo in South America which is the best at Herbology, Magizoology and even Potions._

 _Do you still believe that Hogwarts is the number 1? Amongst the 11 magical school our Hogwarts can only be considered average, about on the same level as Beauxbatons and Ilvermorny."_

 _"Traditions are good," - the Minister continued passionately - "but when they stop us from progressing we must get rid of them! I plan on making Hogwarts become the top once again, just like it was 50 years ago when the British students were considered the best in the world in nearly every major!" (2)_

 _Since his speech back then, Minister Martlesham has never rested. The professors previously teaching at Hogwarts were all tested and those not seen fit to keep their positions were removed. Therefore, the ghost acting as the professor of History of Magic and Sybill Trelawney who right under Albud Dumbledore's nose has taught at Hogwarts for over a decade while having no real talent in Divination whatsoever have been fired. Even more importantly, the Head of the Slytherin House, Severus Snape has also been removed from his position as a professor because of the numerous complaints the evaluators received from all over the Great Britain regarding his extremely biased and unjust behaviour towards students from other houses._

 _Minister Martlesham and his assitants also decided to change the curriculum. Therefore Divination will be removed there still existing though the possibility for the gifted students in that field to request a personal tutor that will be appointed by the Ministry. Alchemy will be introduced as a compulsive object for all the 6th and 7th year students who had obtained at least an E (Exceeds Expectations) in Charms, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes and Potions OWLS. Muggle Studies will become a compulsory object as well for all the students in the 4th year and above._

 _Lastly, the Minister decided to change the policy regarding Quidditch at Hogwarts as well. No longer will the teams of the four houses be left to their own devices. Instead, there will be a coach for every team hired by the Minister of Magic himself (about whom we all know that he is a foolhardy Quidditch fan). On this matter Minister Martlesham also declared:_

 _"For Britain to be the mother country of Quidditch and to not have won the Quidditch World Cup for over 60 years - you must all agree with me that this is simply inadmissible!"_

 _Besides these reforms, the Ministry of Magic also dispatched quite the number of Auror squads which scurried the Forbidden Forest eliminating potential threats or relocating them. Teams from the Department of Mysteries were involved as well. At the end of their raid, among other things, the Aurors reported the existence of an Acromantula colony, counting almost a thousand creatures! Imagine, my dear readers, what would have been left of our children if said monsters had one day run amok!_

 _The teams from the Department of Mysteries also stumbled upon dangerous existences in their raid on the castle and its adjacent buildings: a Devil's Snare, a few ghouls and there were even various extremely dangerous creatures, mutated species of magical beasts, their origins unknown. (3)_

 _These problems have all been solved by the hard working officials of the Ministry. However, the Minister of Magic is now asking for our readers' input, proposing vote to you, the parents who send their children to study at Hogwarts every year; should the Poltergeist Peeves be removed as well, or not? Your owls are awaited at [...]"_

The article continued for another good few thousands of words, but Harry was stopped from reading it by the stern voice of the one who as of late has become like a grandmother figure for him, Helen:

"Put the Daily Prophet away Harry and continue your meal. It is not polite to pay more attention to a newspaper while eating together with your family."

 _'My family, huh?'_ Harry thought and a warm feeling appeared in his chest. No matter how many times he heard it, it always brought him a feeling of happiness.

Over 5 months have passed since Harry started living with the Argyris and it has been by far the happiest period of his life until then. However, not all the thing have been nice and dandy in Harry's opinion: after the New Year passed, there was a radical change in the Argyris' behaviour towards him. No, it wasn't that they got tired of him and wanted to throw him away (those had been Harry's initial fears).. No, in fact, they actually started to consider him being a real part of their family...that meant that from that moment onwards he was pressured to act like an Argyris, like the child of an old aristocratic family - he has had to accept their education and "the rules of the house".

Imagine Harry's annoyance and impatience when he was asked for the first time to eat the grilled meat using a fork and a knife instead of simply grabbing it with his bare hands and quickly devouring it. Imagine his annoyance at getting grounded or yelled at for being his usual rude self.

"Don't wipe your mouth using your sleeves! What are you, a child from The Third World?"

"Why are you tormenting the poor dog?! You're grounded from practicing magic for two full days!" Was what he had been told after having fun at the expense of a dog which he levitated at a few tens of feet in the air to see how it struggled and whined in panic - being deprived of learning magic was the worst punishment in Harry's opinion.

Harry had even had to practice walking properly. It was such an absurd idea for him that his foul mouth broke from the shackles of his self-control and he started swearing in disbelief. Harry's manner of walking was reminiscent of a that of thug you'd find in any city in the muggle world. It wasn't like he walked like that on purpose, it was just something he unconsciously picked up while living on the streets - children do tend to imitate what they see the adults doing.

But in Helen's eyes walking with a hunched back in order to keep his hands in his pockets, having his top out of his pants and not tying his shoes - that was no different from the aspect of a degenerated drunkard. That had to be corrected no matter what in her opinion. And Harry, despite his annoyance and vociferous protests, in the end he still tried his best to keep a tidy appearance and he still diligently practiced every evening, for months, walking with his back straightened while balancing heavy books on his head. As a side note, Helen had also tried taming Harry's hair but that had proved to be beyond her capabilities. She had used magic - only for the spells to lose their effect after just a quarter of an hour. Eventually she had even gotten the point of using Muggle pomade to fix Harry's hair...she had actually managed to slick his hair back but when Harry had seen himself in the mirror he had aggressively threatened to go bald instead of wearing his hair like that - it was waaay too similar to Draco Malfoy's hairstyle which was reason enough for Harry to hate it with a passion. Having seen her failure, the expression on Helen's face had become so sorrowful that for a tiny moment there Harry had felt like wanting to step on his pride and wear that hairstyle just for Helen's face to stop looking like that. It was just a moment however, and he breathed in relief at having not given in.

One would probably wonder why would Harry accept this? It wasn't natural of him to take an adult's words so submissively especially when they were such troublesome demands. The reason for that was a certain brown-haired, silver-eyed goddess residing in his precious Gorgoneion. It hadn't been just once when Harry had been on the point of saying "Fuck this shit, I'm outta here!" and leave the Argyris' care... it was only Athena's wise words that had stopped him from acting rashly and had made him gradually accept the fact that he had to change and start to act more like a civilized human being.

The moment of maximum frustration though, was three months ago, when he was forced to do a certain thing.

 _Throwback_

"You want me to do what?" was what Harry shouted in outrage.

"Dafuq?! I'd rather instead of jumping around like a sissy!"

"Oy, you tell her something as well!" Harry demanded from Lilith when he saw her not protesting at all against her grandmother's words. In fact, a tint of red was colouring her normally pale while cheeks and an expectant and enthusiastic look was in her adorable baby blue eyes. She was literally oozing with excitement.

 _Back to present_

Helen's demand from Harry had been for him to start learning to dance. A blush rose to his face involuntarily every time Harry remembered his awkwardness from the first two weeks especially. At least that's what Harry was telling himself. It was definitely not the feeling of holding close to his chest the body of such a brilliant girl.

Nope, it wasn't the soft and creamy skin from her waist, it wasn't the sight of her bewitching face at just a few inches from his own, it wasn't the minty breath that came from her slightly parted red and plump lips while dancing and sent shivers down his spine, nor was it the sweet fragrance of lavender that overloaded his olfactory sense every time long and silky white hair brushed past his face when she twirled...it was definitely not because of these things that Harry felt his face heating up the reminder of his dancing lessons with Lilith. Definitely not!

 _"Liar!"_ a soft and teasing snickering was heard at Harry denials and he almost lost control of his broom.

Harry was currently hovering above the body of water between the three mountainous islands of the Argyris Archipelago. From the very first moments on his first flying lesson with Hector, Harry knew that flying was going to be one of the greastest passions of his life.

"I'm not lying!" Harry retorted heatedly after recovering his equilibrium again.

 _"Heee~. Then why is your face becoming so red now?"_ the feminine voice coming from his chest asked slyly.

Harry didn't have any words to shot back at that, he himself could feel his face boiling.

"It's not like I have any sort of feelings for her or anything like that." Harry crooned eventually trying to salvage what was left of pride.

 _"That doesn't change the fact that you're attracted to her."_

"Of course I am!" Harry almost yelled. "But I'd have to be either blind of gay to not be attracted by her!"

"What am I saying? ...even gays would turn straight for someone this beautiful." Harry said as an afterthought. "She's a Veela, there's no way I wouldn't be attracted to her...especially since she actively uses her allure on me when we're dancing under the pretext that she can't control it while concentrating on something else and especially since there's also someone who "forgets" to lend me a helping hand every damn time!"

"Language, child!" Athena said trying to keep a steady and serious tone before Harry's exasperated voice finally got the better of her and she bursted into a laughter that sounded like music to Harry ears.

Athena indeed, did not help Harry in withstanding Lilith allure when they practiced dancing, it was simply too much fun for her to see him desperately trying to control his urges, urges like wanting to hug the girl in his arms, or wanting to kiss her tempting lips... The former goddess was actually profusely surprised at Harry's willpower. Many men would be rendered a drooling mess just at the sight of a Veela, let alone when touching one. Nine out of ten times most men would lose their control and try to even force themselves upon the Veela girl regardless of everything, not caring even if their wives were right beside them or if tthey were in front of an Auror squad - that was the degree to which lust clouded their mind. For Harry to resist from doing anything for such a long time was nothing short of admirable.

"Weren't you supposed to be Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, War, the Patron Goddess of Heroes and the only deity with the potential to become stronger than the king of gods, Zeus himself?" Harry asked sulking.

During the past 5 months Harry had read all the books he could get his hands on about not only the myths concerning Athena, but the entire Greek mythology since Athena's importance was so great that she was involved in most of the events recorded in the legends. And in all the works that Harry has read Athena has been depicted as a stoic and serious young woman, with unparalleled beauty and wisdom...she wasn't supposed to be a prankster nor was she supposed to laugh at someone else's misfortune.

Although his outward appearance showed annoyance, he was inwardly thinking: _'I don't really care how much embarrassment am I going to feel and it doesn't matter how many stupid things I have to do as long as I can hear Athena laughing like that.'_ (and yes, in the mmeantime he and the goddess became close enough for her to allow him to call her simply by her name, without any kind of honorifics)

The Athena Harry met nearly 6 months ago, after his actions that had led to Marcus Flint's death was indeed like the myths depicted her to be: serious, stoic, calm and collected. Besides that there was also an aura of sadness coming from her...but she was like a changed person now.

After returning from Norway back to Greece when the Winter holiday ended, Harry began to earnestly start researching Athena's past. Those few months were very fun for Harry if one were to ignore the Argyris' almost militaristic education and only look at the time he spent talking with the goddess.

Slowly but at a steady pace Athena had started to open up and her previous demeanour began to break. At some point, the two of them started reading together the myths and legends about her, with Athena either declaring their veracity or dismissing it. Harry has even had the opportunity to see Athena acting _flustered_ when they read the myths about Arachne, Tiresias and Paris. She definitely showed a hint of remorse and shame at how cruel Arachne's punishment for disrespecting the gods had been - Athena had given Arachne a fate worse than death by turning her into a spider...but Athena didn't show not one bit of remorse at having blinded Tiresias for seeing her while bathing.

As for the incident regarding Paris, it was mostly true as well. From Athena's reaction to it, Harry understood two things about her: first of all, she hated perverts and generally those unfaithful to their life partners. Although she didn't use the same coarse language Harry usually did, basically the gist of what she said about having lost the competition for goddess Eris' apple was that Athena's, Hera's and Aphrodite' beauty were equal in any way and that Aphrodite won only because Paris was the type of man that thought more with his "lower head" - he chose Aphrodite as the winner of their little contest because said goddess promised him the most beautiful woman in the world. That's why Athena hated both men like Paris and the unfaithful women like Helen of Sparta who cheated on her husband and left him for Paris.

Knowing such a thing was most likely the source behind Harry's power to resist Lilith's allure. No matter the price, Harry didn't want Athena to think that he's also one of those men like Paris.

The second thing Harry learned about Athena was that she was a veeery sore loser. She had almost never lost, but when she finally did...well, one of the strogest countries in the world of that time was wiped out from existence.(4) The Trojan War had started by Menelaus (the king of Sparta) and his brother who untied the many other Greek kings in order to destroy Troy and take Helen back. But it was Athena's the one that inspired Odysseus to built the Trojan horse which ultimately brought the fall of Troy.

If even Athena who was the Goddess of Wisdom acted like that, then Harry understood that the ancient Greek's gods were not much different than humans when it came to their character...

Harry flew at just a few inches above the crystal clear water before abruptly changed his direction, flying upwards at nearly 90 degrees while letting out an exhilarating yell. He could fall to his death from ascending at such a steep angle but in that moment Harry was like an adrenaline junkie, not caring about the risks in the least. He was very confident in his skills with the broom. And the broom itself was brilliant, the Argyris family sure knew how to treat themselves well - not only Harry, but every member of the family had the newest model from Nimbus company, a Nimbus 2001. They had not even started being sold on the market yet, the broom sticks have been obtained only thanks to Galatea and Hector's connections. It goes without saying just how damn expensive they were.

"HARRY! It's time for the Charms and DADA classes!" the magically amplified voice of Galatea sounded across the entire archipelago of islands and Harry immediately plunged towards the ground, being as excited as he always was when it came to studying magic.

* * *

AN:

(1) Apart from that percentage, everything I said about Uagadou is canon.

(2) "Coincidentally" 50 years ago was when Voldemort was a student at Hogwarts.

(3) I think we all know who's the culprit - a certain half-giant that harbours a very unhealthy fascination towards dangerous magical creatures lol

(4) In Ancient times there were the so called city-states. Look it up on Wikipedia if you're interested.

(The chapter has been proofread only by me, sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)


	16. Chapter 16 - Of Magic and Gods

AN: **If you're a fan of the anime Naruto, please vote on the poll on my profile. I'm going to start writing a new fic and I have 2 ideas. I'd like to know which one of them appeals to you the most.** Anyway, this is the first chapter of the week, enjoy!

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

《Hello》 - Greek language

(This has not been proofread by my beta, sorry for any mistakes I may have made. Btw, is there anyone willing to help me with this?)

* * *

 **Chapter 16 - Of Magic and Gods**

A bulb of an almost blinding white light appeared from the tip of Harry's index finger and he looked at Lilith who sat at his right with the smug smile on his face.

Lilith sniffed in disdain and she also casted:

"Lumos!"

The difference between their spells' effects made Harry scowl at her. It wasn't that the light produced by Lilith's wand was brighter (it was actually much dimmer compared to his), but something else: after the white-haired girl created the bulb of light, she made it hover above the top of her wand and then controlled it to slowly move around the room.

Lilith looked at Harry with an air of superiority around her and he couldn't help sighing in frustration.

During the half of year of staying at the Argyris, Harry's capabilities in magic have soared. He had already learnt all the spells from the Standard Book of Spells for the first year students of Hogwarts in spite of him still not having a wand. It was much harder to learn to cast spells wandlessly because not only he had to put a larger amount of magic in his spells than what anyone else had to while wielding a wand, but there was also another thing: while with the passing of time and and as they gained more experience wizards will gradually stop using all the wand movements necessary to cast a spell, for children of Harry's age it was almost impossible to cast them without doing the proper wand movement...and he couldn't make all the movements correctly with his index finger. Besides that, it was very hard for Harry to accept doing something if it didn't make any sense to him.

 _Throwback_

"Why do I need to say the incantation out loud? No, why do I even need an incantation at all?" Harry asked Hector during his first lesson of Charms (Hector, Galatea and even Helen took turns at teaching Harry and Lilith various subjects).

"This is how it's done, Harry, it's not like I was the one who made the rules. The thing is that when people are young they are not familiar with their magic. To control your magic you need experience and a great mental fortitude. It is not a coincidence that most magical people that have a bright mind are also brilliant wizards/witches."

"I still think it's unnecessary." Harry said. "I mean when I fight someone won't my opponent easily counter my spell if he hears my incantation?"

Hector felt a headache incoming.

"Harry, are you learning magic with the purpose of fighting others?"

"Of course!" Harry said with a tone that implied that it was ridiculous for Hector to even ask such an obvious thing. "The one with the biggest dick will-." Harry said before sheepishly stopped when he saw Hector pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I meant to say that the stronger I am the easier my life would be. Look at that foggy bastard Dumbledore. He always does whatever the hell he wants without anyone coming for his wrinkled ass."

Hector couldn't help a groan escaping. Obscenities were flowing from Harry's mouth so naturally that Hector doubted he'll ever manage to change this aspect of Harry's personality. Hector cleared his throat in discomfort before saying:

"While what you said is not completely wrong, the fact is that you should learn magic while bearing in mind the purpose of building yourself a good foundation for your future career."

"Meh, I'm already filthy rich, why would I care about building a career?" Harry shrugged uncaringly. "Becoming very strong would take care of my living expenses anyway since both the Hit-Wizards organization and the DMLE are gunning for skilled wizards."

"..."

"You're unexpectedly well informed." the middle-aged man said with unmasked surprise.

"But we're getting side-tracked here... the truth is that only starting with your sixth year of schooling will you start learning to cast spells nonverbally and-"

But he almost choked with his saliva when Harry made the desk they were seated at float in the air with a both nonverbal and wandless Levitation Charm.

 _Scene break_

In the end it was Athena that explained him - "Words have power" - that's what she told him. And true to her claims, a nonverbal Lumos was not as bright as a Lumos cast by saying the incantation.

But why was there a need for any incantations at all, Harry was still not sure what to think. According to Athena the magic inside him was not just an energy which he could use as if it were an inanimate tool. The magic inside him was in fact a iny semi-sentient part of the the infinite being that governed the planet - the nature. According to her, the nature was the embodiment of what a true deity was: an all-powerful being, immovable by any external factors and impossible to control or influence.

Athena told Harry that all of the ancient deities had been in fact born from human's imagination. The dormant magic within them responded to their arduous needs and birthed what came to be known by humanity as their gods. It had all started with the humans' veneration of other things or living beings stronger than them...

"Humans had admired the bull for its mighty strength and sturdiness - this is how Apis had been born; humans had venerated the Sun - and this was how Ra had come into existence; humans had feared the ocean and its deadly storms - which had given birth to Poseidon; their fear of the thunder and their amazement at the lightning strikes that followed had birthed Thor and so on."

"However," Athena said with what Harry pictured as a small teasing smile as if she already knew what was he thinking about "don't expect something to suddenly appear just because you think of it... It was needed for billions of people to wish for something for tens of thousands of years for there to exist a powerful entity protecting them before the primordial Magic actually listened to them..."

"But in the end...in the end I realized that it is actually us, the deities, that should be pitied not the mortals..." were the words with which Athena finished her speech and as clueless as Harry was when it came to understanding other people's feelings, he still recognized the emotion Athena's voice had leaked - bitterness. Because of that he refrained from asking more questions.

Back to the matter at hand, although Athena was not familiar with the contemporary magic, the essence of magic was the same with what she knew. And she explained Harry that saying various incantations was the way the primordial Magic - as in the sentient entity at which she looked up at like at a true god - the way Magic could be invoked. According to her, from this point of view every human held a piece of fhe true God inside their bodies...and through the power of the words they could temporarily borrow God's power.

Listening to such an intricate explanation was understandable that Harry was overwhelmed. Expecting him to fully grasp the meaning of Athena's words was like expecting an illiterate man to solve plane trigonometry problems. Harry was smart and mature for his age...but he was still 11 in the end. Boys at his age were normally still playing with toy cars or burned ants with a magnifying glass. They didn't normally have to try to understand existential problems and theories...In fact most adult wizards and witches would not understand the true meaning of Athena's words.

But although Harry didn't realize it, to have the Goddess of Wisdom herself sharing her own insights into the mysteries of the world was something any scholar or cultured person in the world would even kill for...

 _Scene break_

"Why are you sulking, Harry?" Galatea asked in slight amusement - the scene in front of her eyes was a daily occurrence.

Be it the Wand-Lighting Charm that the two children in front of her just casted or any other spell from the first year students' curriculum at Hogwarts (the Softening Charm, the Fire-Making Spell, Levitation Charm, Locking and Unloking Charms, Mending Charm etc), Harry had managed to learn them all - he just casted them all in front of her face one after another!

Besides the fact that Harry should have been very tired after casting consecutively nearly 10 spells - and he wasn't - Galatea couldn't help but marvel at Harry's capabilities. Harry learned all the spells in the first grade in just 4 months! And if that wasn't an amazing enough feat, he learned to do it wandlessly seeing as he didn't have a wand.

Since starting to teach Harry, Galatea has researched the wandless magic and learned the fact that while the students from the Uagadou all only used wandless magic, their performance with charms was lacklustre compared to the rest of the magical schools' students. Long story short, while they were adept in fields like self-transfiguration, they very weak when it came to casting charms. Charms needed a fine control over one's magic in order to be casted. That was why using a wand was many times more efficient in casting them.

However, to Galatea's amazement, Harry was not only capable of casting them flawlessly with no wand he even learnt to cast most of them without saying the incantation. That was something only starting with the 6th year of schooling would students begin to learn!

What Galatea didn't know was that Harry has freely used his magic like an extension of his body ever since he was 8 years old. To compare Harry's accomplishments with those of ordinary wizards would be foolish. Just like one couldn't compare Dumbledore or Voldemort with the rest of the wizards, just like that Harry couldn't be compared to other students of his age.

Then what was Harry's reason to be frustrated? It was Lilith Argyris.

Even compared to the Argryis family's standards, Lilith could be considered a prodigy. She was just 11 years old and she was already capable or Conjuration and even while being at Hogwarts, she had always been at the top of her grade, regardless of wheter it was Transfiguration or even Herbology.

Harry has still not forgotten how Lilith owned him in their last altercation at Hogwarts. Sure, he had not been in the right state of mind at that moment, but he was still pissed that she had beaten him. Therefore, during their lessons together Harry always tried to outdo Lilith...something which he rarely was successful in.

It was always an amusing sight for Galatea to see Harry's scowling face at being bested again by her daughter.

《You know why he's sulking.》 Lilith said using the Greek language in order for Harry to no understand her words. 《He's obviously butthurt that I was much better than him again!》

Although Galatea always tried to be impartial and treat Harry just like her own son, she couldn't help bursting into laughter at Lilith's smug face and Harry stormy expression.

"Alright, now that we're done for today, it's time for what we promised to you last week: we're going to visit Diagon Alley in Great Britain!" Galatea said quickly to dispell Harry bad mood and divert his attention.

 _Scene break_

Happily eating ice-cream that they had bought from Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlor, Lilith and Harry were wandering aimlessly through the Diagon Alley.

Not unlike the last time, although Hector and Galatea have dressed up elegantly and in a fashion befitting someone of their status, Lilith has once again chosen muggle clothes. She wore a pair of simple shorts, a white short sleeved shirt and a pair of red sneakers on her feet. Her long and lustrous silvery-white hair was styled into a ponytail and her face was smiling as brightly as the sun. She was adorable.

Harry's mood on the other hand wasn't any different either. After having lived for an entire month at Leaky Cauldron, Harry was very familiar with the Diagon Alley and he felt even a bit enthusiastic about returning there. Similarly to Lilith, Harry was wearing a casual outfit as well with knee-long jeans, a blue t-shirt and a pair of green sneakers.

By the time the two of them finished their ice-cream, they walked through pretty much the entire Alley.

"Hey, Lilith, what do you say about leaving the Alley and go into the Muggle London's streets?"

"Um, I don't know, Harry. Mum told us to wait here...they'd be very worried about us if we suddenly disappeared." Lilith said.

"Aww come on, they're discussing some secret stuff with the Minister of Magic, there's no way they'd get out in less than 3 hours."

Lilith seemed reluctant, but in the end she agreed to Harry's suggestion. After all she was bored as well and waiting 3 more hours in the same place was not something she fancied. They headed towards the entrance of the Alley and exited through the brick wall. Nobody seemed to have noticed though the large black dog that followed the two children's steps.


	17. Chapter 17 - Sirius Black

AN:

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 17 - Sirius Black**

 _A few hours before Harry's arrival in Great Britain_

A tall and handsome man was stepping impatiently in circles inside the Ministry of Magic's office. He appeared to be in his thirties, he had a very well bulit body and his fair skin, his long, lustrous black hair and striking grey eyes gave him an aristocratic appearance. But currently his handsome face was marred by an expression of impatience and nervousness.

"For Merlin's sake, Sirus, would it burn you to just take a seat and stop circling around the office like a drunkard?" the Minister looked up from his paperwork and said in annoyance.

The man called Sirius took a seat on one of the cushioned chairs and stood there motionlessly for like 10 seconds before yelling:

"Gaah! Are you for real, Marcus?! For 10 years you've been lying to me saying that Harry is living well in one of the best orphanages in London...only now for me to find out the truth!"

"Look!" Sirius shouted as a newspaper magically appeared in his right hand and he slammed it on the Minister's desk.

The newspaper was yesterday's edition of Daily Prophet on whose first page was written in bold and big letter the title - WHERE IS HARRY POTTER?

The article started by glorifying Harry Potter's actions from 5 months ago, praising his bravery and selfless attitude. He was depicted as a hero who risked his own life in order to save the both the English Minister's son Danforth Martlesham and the Greek Minister's niece, Argyris Lilith.

What definitely sold the article was the moving image of Harry Potter who with both of his hands raised up above his head created a translucent blue dome of light protecting the collapsed girl behind him from the 500 pound heavy club of the troll that struck down mercilessly. It was an awe-inspiring scene seeing a scrawny eleven years boy facing off with such bravery against a 12 feet tall monstrosity whose sole arm was thicker than the boy's entire body.

Because of this certain article Daily Prophet registered one of the biggest profits in the last 10 years, the last time they had sold so many copies being after Voldemort's fall when they wrote about the The Boy Who Lived, Neville Longbottom.

After making Harry's image in the readers' hearts grow to the stature of a true hero, the article proceeded with appealing to their sympathy - the article said that the Muggle orphanage in which Harry had lived in until his enrolment at Hogwarts has expelled him after a bout of accidental magic. It continued by saying that such brilliant person was now missing and that he was presumed to live like a homeless. The writer of the article finished by asking publicly the Minister to "show his gratitude" towards the benefactor of his child and to do his duty as the Minister of Magic by making sure Harry Potter is offered a stable environment and living conditions befitting such a good child like him.

"So if I were to not get yesterday's copy I would probably still be in the dark about the whole matter!" Sirius continued angrily.

"How did you even get it? Although you were not in Azkaban, you-"

"It was your own son that sent it to me through a House-Elf." Sirius said not in the mood to beat around the bush and trying to conceal something that would come up to light at some point anyway.

"That rascal, I really need to discipline him these days.." the Minister mumbled with furrowed brows.

"Answer me, Marcus!" Sirius thundered as his patience finally vanishing at the sight of Marcus' indifference and he slammed both of his fists onto the desk.

The door of the office opened abruptly and two Aurors bursted into the room with their wands pointed at Sirius, but he didn't even spare them a glance, still continuing to glare at the middle-aged man in front of him.

"Everything is fine, you two can go." the Minister said, dismissing them.

The Aurors seemed like they wanted to protest, but they knew better than going against a direct order from the Minister. They knew he was a very strict leader, not few were the Minisry officials that have been demoted or even fired for slacking off at their jobs or for not following orders properly.

When the two left, Marcus cast a Silencing Charm on the door and then turned his attention towards Sirius.

"I still haven't forgotten that day from 12 years ago." the middle aged man said while his eyes got a faraway look.

"My squad and I were surrounded by Death Eaters... Brian was already dead, but before falling he took three motherfuckers down with him." Marcus said viciously, there being no signs of the previous scholarly-looking middle aged man. In his place stood now the Auror veteran who has seen death countless times, the Auror veteran that watched not just one of his brothers in arms being killed in front of his eyes. A survivor whose hands had once been covered in the blood of his enemies.

"They killed Brigitte as well and Lauren the midget was unconscious, barely alive... Only Kingsley and I were still standing on our feet, barely holding our own against the remaining 10 masked shitstains in the Macmillan family's Manor. We would've certainly died... if it weren't for you and James arriving together with your squad at the last moment..."

"I've never forgotten what you and James did for me back then, Sirius. Back then we went against the orders and blinded by hate I attacked the Macmillan manor on my own...5 Aurors against nearly 20 Death Eaters... I had learned afterwards that the DMLE's head of that time had had no intentions whatsoever of sending a rescuing team for us - not that I hold it against him since we were the ones guilty of insubordination and that our numbers were already stretched thin. Yet despite that you and James risked your lives and careers by coming to my and my squads' help."

"I showed you my gratitude by making everything in my power the next year, at the end of the war, to make you avoid Azkaban and in the end I managed to give you good living conditions in the DMLE's prison. I saved you from a fate worse than death."

Marcus' voice was becoming hoarse and he stopped to clear his throat.

"I'm not someone that forgets my benefactors, Sirius. Although James died before I could repay him for saving my life, I still want to make it up to him by taking care of his son. Moreover, Harry has my eternal gratitude for what he did to Dan. He saved Dan's life, he saved my son's life. Not only that, I heard from Gwen, the daughter of a family friend, that Harry had tried to stop Dan twice from going to face the troll..."

"All I want to tell you is that from the moment Harry saved Dan's life I started caring about him probably just as much as you do. Right now Harry isn't missing like the article in Daily Prophet says. I know exactly where is he is since I myself have talked with the ones that took him."

"Normally the Ministry is keeping a very tight leash on the Dialy Prophet... I'm really curious who pulled the strings to make this article being published? The only one that comes to mind is...well, it doesn't really matter anymore."

During Marcus' speech Sirius gradually calmed down and sat back on the chair. But when he heard him saying that Harry is actually not missing and that he even personally knows the ones at whom he's living, he jumped out from his seat.

"Yeah, no need to ask, they're actually coming to London today around noon." Marcus cut Sirius' incoming question by directly answering him.

Now that Sirius knew that Harry was fine, his anxiety soared because of other reasons:

 _'What would Harry say when he'll hear that I'm his godfather?'_

 _'Will he be mad at me? Will he accept me?'_

 _'I shouldn't go see him with my hands empty...but what should I give him, I know nothing about him.'_

These and other similar thoughts were storming through Sirius' brain as he paced around the office silently counting the minutes left until noon. After half an hour or so, the Minister looked up from the documents he was completing and handed Sirius a few of them.

"You should have normally staid in prison for one and half a year more but I managed to pull some strings and most of Wizengamot's members voted in favour of your early release from prison."

"No need to thank me," Marcus continued "I'm only repaying my debt. You saved my life once and your godson saved Dan's life as well. If anything, it is I who still feels indebted to you."

"Congratulations, you're a free man!" said the Minister and a small smile graced his usually stern face.

Sirius was about to rush out of the office without even saying his thanks properly, only wanting to get ready to welcome Harry.

"I should tell you though, young Harry might be very far from the image you probably have of him in your head. You're most likely envisioning him as James was at his age but if what Dan told me about him is anything to go by, he's an entirely different person."

"What do you mean by that?" Sirius asked wearily and stopped in his steps.

"He's very mature for his age, very powerful as well - you saw the photo in the newspaper - and how can I say it... Lucius Malfoy's son and his little gang tried to bully him during the 2 months at Hogwarts."

Sirius' hands clenched into fists but Marcus continued before he could say anything.

"The thing is that Lucius' son, Draco, along with the sons of Crabbe and Goyle were found after a few weeks collapsed on a corridor in a pool of their own vomit and blood. They also had had many of the bones in their limbs broken and despite Madam Pomfrey's skills as a Healer, they have had to live in the Hospital Wing for an entire week. The interesting part is that there were no eyewitness and that the victims themselves refused to give any details."

Sirius felt a shiver go down his spine at the Minister's words and mixed emotions battled within his heart. It was obvious who had been the culprit...on one hand Sirius felt proud about his godson being such a badass but on the other hand he felt weary in regards to the lengths of his revenge. Sure, he also liked to bully Snape, but he has never been so violent.

 _'An entire week in the hospital after a beating? I'll be damned!'_

But after thinking about himself and remembering how he almost got Severus Snape killed while he was at Hogwarts, he stopped judging Harry's violent acts.

"Following that incident, the three boys have been very well-behaved for a while, until they got the support of a 7th year boy in their house. With his backing, Lucius' son felt confident about continuing with his old attitude. Do you know what happened then?" the Minister asked seriously as he laced his fingers. "The 7th year boy died."

"..."

"You're saying that he...he killed him?!" Sirius nearly yelled.

"We don't know the details. For reasons still unknown that idiot Dumbledore had decided to keep a 3 headed Cerberus in the castle. And one night Marcus Flint was eaten alive by the creature while 6 or 7 students watched the whole thing happening."

"At the scene there were 4 Gryffindor boys - one of them being 'the boy who lived' - two girls from Ravenclaw...and Harry Potter. I'm not saying that Harry was the one who threw him into the Cerberus' mouth - Harry had actually been the last to arrive at the scene according to the rest of children. But two things are sure: Harry had a conflict with Flint and Harry was the only one that has had no real reason to be on the hallways at that hour - the rest of the students have apparently been fooled by Draco Malfoy's challenge of Neville Longbottom to a duel in the Trophy Room at the middle of the night."

"A few days after that, the Malfoy child and his friends were found once again beaten half to death, this time not being any witnesses either... I'm not saying that it's certain that Harry is the culprit but as you can see, the events point at him... Due to the lack of concrete evidence and because it was Dumbledore's fault in the first place for keeping such a dangerous creature in the school, I'm not going to continue the investigation." Marcus said, relieving Sirius of his continuously increasing tension.

"In fact, even if there was any evidence, do you think I'd convict the one who saved my son's life for the sake of the child of a cowardly snake? Flint's father is a convicted Death Eater, and apparently his son was steadily following his steps. If it were after me, each one of those motherfucking Death Eaters would be tortured to death!"

Sirius had an unreadable expression as he galnced at the older man in front of him. Marcus Martlesham appeared at a first glance to be an intellectual and refined middle-age man, but every time he spoke about Death Eaters, a vicious expression would surface on his face and a bloodthirsty glint flashed in his eyes, giving him a menacing appearance.

Marcus used to be a different person before the war started by Voldemort. His friends would describe the him from that time as a happy-go-lucky idiot, always goofing around. He became a tad more serious after his enrolment into DMLE but he still had a laidback disposition...that until the war started. Witnessing the horrors created by the Death Eaters, he gradually became colder and more merciless.

The breaking point for Marcus was the day when his wife was raped and killed by the three Death Eaters from the Macmillan family. He was left a widower with a one year old son. In his despair he had attacked the Macmillan manor just with his 5 men squad alone, driving two of his teammates to death. And if weren't for James Potter and Sirius Black' timely arrival, he would've been killed as well.

However, despite understanding that his desire to get revenge almost killed him that time, Marcus didn't change his stance. It was forbidden for the Aurors to use the Unforgivable Curses...but that didn't mean that Marcus's spells were any less lethal. In the year that followed his wife's death Marcus has not even once tried to capture the Death Eaters he encountered, each one of the spells he has casted being sent with the intent to kill. If Alastor Moody became famous for his prowess as an Auror and for having captured the most Death Eaters in the war, then Marcus Martlesham became the epitome of viciousness against the ones terrorizing the country - he was the one who by himself killed almost a hundred Death Eaters in just one year.

Thinking about these things, Sirius felt like his sentence to prison had been quite unfair. Compared with how many Death Eaters Marcus has annihilated, he could be considered a saint. Sure, he had avoided Azkaban, but he had staid locked up in a cell for over 10 years already and that just for killing four people...no, in Sirius' mind they were not people but animals.

The first 3 person Sirius had killed had been his cousin Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers. Sirius' eyes flashed with killing intent as he remembered the scene.

 _Flashback_

 _Sirius was just having his dinner when a bundle of clothes suddenly appeared on his table. A loud cry broke the silence in his house afterwards as the one year old Harry Potter started bawling after suffering the effects one felt by traveling via portkey._

 _Sirius' face paled and a bad feeling in surfaced in his heart. Why would Harry appear by himself with a portkey? It was very dangerous for children younger than 3 years old to travel via portkey, Lily would've never allowed something like this._

 _Sirius couldn't shake the feeling that something really bad must have happened. He Disapparated right away, only to Apparate a few seconds later at Godric's Hollow, inside the Potters' courtyard. He ran towards the entrance of the house as if he was running for his life and right as he stepped through the door he saw his best friend's wife, Lily, being hit in the back with a green jet of light._

 _"Awww, Rudy, you're no fun at all!" Bellatrix Lestrange said in a whiney voice. "First Rabastan killed Potter before he even had the chance to take out his wand and now you killed the mudblood as well...why didn't you let me have some fun with the little bi-"_

 _But Bellatrix' words were suddenly cut off and her lifeless body fell to the floor._

 _When Sirius saw Lily's getting hit with the Killing Curse his mind became empty. He was in stupor. But when he heard Bellatrix saying how James was killed and how she would've liked to torture Lily before killing her, something in Sirius snapped._

 _No screams of anger were released from Sirius' throat...but that didn't lessen his rage at all. His face became livid and with hate burning into his eyes he said in a cold, subdued voice:_

 _"Avada Kedavra!"_

 _As a member of a dark pureblood family Sirius was very familiar with the temptations of the Dark Arts and with the consequences of one giving into his heart's dark desires. That was the reason why despite having a vast knowledge about Dark Magic - it was mandatory for a Black to have it - he always avoided using it. But right now, having his real family murdered just like that, Sirius threw away everything. His only thought was to kill everyone._

 _It had been the first time Sirius had casted a Killing Curse, but his hatred had been more than enough to make up for his inexperience - Bellatrix was killed on spot._

 _After being stunned for a brief moment, the Lestrange brothers immediately reacted. Having his wife killed in front of his eyes, Rodolphus howled in anger as he started to hurl all kinds of lethal curses at Sirius._

 _"Lumos Trio!" Sirius whispered right before closing his eyes._

 _A light so bright burst from his wand that it almost looked like a miniature sun has been lighted into the room. The rays of the light were so painfully bright that everything in front of Rabastan and Rodolphus' eyes lost its colour and they cried out in shock._

 _It was a banal spell, the Wand-Lighting Charm being one of the first spells students learn in their 1st year at Hogwarts. It seemed harmless but when used by a powerful and experienced wizard, it could even decide the outcome of a battle._

 _The two brothers immediately positioned themselves back to back and started to randomly shot curses in front of them. But with their sight taken from them, they obviously didn't manage to hit their enemy. When the light died out, Sirius opened his eyes and without bothering to say the incantation nonverbally as to not divulge his position, he casted:_

 _"Defodio!"_

 _Rabastan's head exploded into a shower of blood and gore but Sirius was not done yet._

 _"Diavrono!" (1)_

 _A pale yellow beam of light was shot from the tip of Sirius' wand and impacted the remaining Death Eater in the chest. An unearthly scream was heard from Rodolphud and his clothes turned to ash while his skin started to melt as if he had just been thrown into a tank full with acid. In his desperation he began to roll on the floor and claw at his own flesh ripping large chunks out of it. It was a macabre spectacle and even hardened soldiers would feel their stomach twist at it. However, both of Sirius' eyes were cold and calm like two blades, shining with the ferocity. There was no shred on mercy in them._

 _Flashback end_

After that incident Sirius didn't waste a second. He knew very well who had been at the root of James and Lily's deaths. In that night Peter Pettigrew was tortured to death.

Afterwards Sirius was arrested by Aurors and at his trial he confessed his crimes under Veritaserum. He didn't regret any of his deeds. If there was one thing he regretted was not having the chance to see his godson grow up. However, to his surprise, the Wizengamot only found him guilty of Peter Pettigrew's death since he was the only one not having the Dark Mark tattooed on his arm. (2)

But since he declared under Veritaserum that it was Peter that betrayed the Potters, and also thanks to the newly elected Minister Marcus Martlesham, Sirius has been sentenced to 12 years of prison into DMLE's cells, not Azkaban. It was something unheard of until then. Basically the Wizengamot actually wanted to tell Sirius "We don't find what you did a bad thing but the law still needs to be respected in order for there to not be chaos, especially after the end of war when the waters are still troubled." Therefore Sirius has been sentenced to prison only for the appearances' sake seeing as the living conditions in the prison were very good - hewas given enough food, he had an entire library to read from and he had the right to take at least 3 showers every week. The only downside has been that he was restricted from having any sort of contact with the outdide world - except for what Marcus, the Minister decided to share with him from time to time.

* * *

AN:

(1) It's from Greek, it means to corrode. This curse is not canon, it's a spell I thought of myself - the Corroding Curse.

(2) Remeber, this is an AU fan fiction. It's only natural for a me to twist various facts and events to fit my own needs

(This has not been proofread by my beta, sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)


	18. Chapter 18 - First Meeting (I)

AN:

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 18 - First Meeting (I)**

"Huff... huff... are you crazy?" Lilith barely managed to say because of her laborious breathing. "What if we got caught?"

With a policeman's cap on his head Harry sported a shit-eating grin on his face. Just a few minutes before Harry showed off in front of Lilith by stealing a policeman's cap. The policeman didn't notice Harry's use of wandless Levitation Charm but he saw his cap in his hands. What followed was a wild chase through London's side alleys, but in the end Harry and Lilith managed to shake off their pursuer - not many people were as knowledgeable as Harry in regards with London's streets.

It took a while for their breathing to calm down but when it did, Lilith scowled at Harry. It was nearly the end of April and that day was unusually hot. The high temperature outside coupled with the effort they did by running from the policeman made them dripping with sweat.

"Come on, you're a witch, can't you use a Cleaning Charm or something?" Harry asked mischievously.

"You know very well that my wand has the Trace! I can't use it in Muggle areas."

"Oh my, I've almost forgotten about it." Harry said while playing with two pebbles, levitating them in the air in circles, provocatively.

"Doesn't that mean though, that you're basically at my own mercy?" he asked with a large smile.

"Harry Potter, don't you dare!" Lilith said half-angrily, half-panickedly. It wasn't that she was afraid Harry would hurt her but she was getting the chills when she remembered Harry's most recent idea of having fun - levitating a dog at a few tens of feet in the air and laughing at how it whined in struggled in panic. Harry had a... different sense of humour sometimes.

Harry (with Lilith following him) started to walk towards the nearest public park from their position, the West Ham Park. In the meantime, they chatted lightly without any of them try to annoy each other.

"So how's your Japanese going?" Harry asked.

"I'm doing pretty well. I don't have any problems with participating in casual conversations."

"Amazing!" Harry expressed his heartfelt admiration.

"O-Of course!" Lilith said, lightly stuttering in embarrassment at the praise she received. She was used to being praised by her parents, but it was definitely different when it came from Harry.

But Lilith hid her joy from Harry's compliment and continued arrogantly:

"Of course, just who do you take me for? I'm a genius!"

Harry didn't contradict her. Especially when it came to her linguistic intelligence, Lilith's aptitude was off the charts. She was just 11 (nearly 12), yet despite that and despite that her native language was Greek, her English was almost flawless and now her Japanese was at an intermediate level after just 4 or so months of studying. If that wasn't amazing then Harry didn't know what was.

"So you're really going to Mahoutokoro?"

"Yeah. Why, miss me already?" Lilith asked teasingly.

"Che. A-As if!"

When they arrived at the park Harry took a seat on one bench and admired the landscape. He has never done that in a park before, but after living a few months in the middle of the nature he began to appreciate its beauty more.

"Say, Lilith, Hector told me when we first me that you have an older sister...what was that about? How come she didn't come home for Christmas? ...I felt like it was something like a taboo to ask Hector or Galatea about her so that's why I've waited until we were alone to ask you."

Lilith eyebrows lifted in surprise. She had never expected Harry to actually become so thoughtful and caring about other people's feelings and circumstances. It was definitely an evolution from the thug that kicked her in the stomach half a year ago.

However, what Harry asked about truly was a sensible subject for their family. While still hesitating a bit, she said slowly:

"Well...she's not really my sister."

"What do you mean?

"Um...a few good years before I was born, the Healers told my mother that she will never be able to have children, that not even magic could help her with that... So after much thinking mom and dad chose to adopt an orphan girl since they really wanted a child."

"Everything went well," continued Lilith "until I was born. After that Irene's attitude towards them gradually changed..."

"I think she became jealous of me... bragging and joking aside, ever since I was very little I was considered a prodigy. I learned to speak fluently by the age of 2, I cast my first controlled spell at 5 and when I became 7 years old, my uncle - the Ministry of Magic in Greece - hired specialized tutors to gradually initiate me in magic..."

"Because of my talent with magic and my intelligence, people started paying more attention to my development and even my parents began to invest more of their time instructing me than Irene...You've been living with us for quite a while, you know by now just how busy my parents are."

And it was true, Harry noticed that Hector and Galatea could be considered workaholic. They were not employees to a company or anything like that - they were independent researchers and they were so passionate about their work that out of the 3 islands of the Argyris Archipelago, one of them was specifically dedicated to their lab. That island was off-limits for everyone, even for Helen and Iason.

"Well, imagine how from the 2 or 3 hours that mom and dad don't spend working, they never dedicated even half an hour to at least just talk with Irene. It wasn't that they ignored her...it was that they considered that she was a big girl and that I needed them much more than her."

"This situation continued until 3 years ago when Irene graduated from Beauxbatons. With the pretext that she wanted to continue her studies in Charms in an Apprenticeship program, Irene left home. We haven't heard too many things from her even though mom and dad both repeatedly sent

her letters. The best we got was an "I'm fine." last month."

"She was adopted...even if I hadn't been some sort of prodigy, Irene would've still become jealous of me. I am my parents' real daughter. It was bound for some conflicts to appear because of her insecurities. But the present situation is that not only I am blood-related to my parents, but I also am considered a prodigy and my appearance is obviously much better than hers because of the obvious fact that I'm my mother's daughter, that I'm a Veela."

"Long story short, because of my parents' neglect, Irene's insecurities aggravated. Probably thoughts like _'Do they even need me anymore now that they have their own daughter and a perfect one at that?'_ are now haunting her."

"Sure, my parents are now regretting their mistakes, but it's too late to repair their relationship with Irene anymore."

Hearing Lilith's words, Harry was at a loss of what to say. Until that moment he had thought that the Argyris were the perfect family in every aspect. Never did he imagine that such a thing actually occurred. It was startling for Harry to once again realize that nothing was perfect in life.

He had thought that he was the strongest before due to his "mutant powers" and his abilities in pickpocketing. But then Dumbledore crushed his confidence for two times before Harry finally realised that he had been like the frog in a well and that there are many other fishes larger than him in the sea.

After that Harry thought that the wizarding world was brilliant during his stay at Leaky Cauldron - but then he met a Cerberus and a Troll and his rating of it was greatly lowered.

Then Harry thought like any normal people that gods were perfect...but when he realised that even the Goddess of Wisdom herself held grudges and was vengeful, this preconceived opinion of his was shattered as well.

And finally, now, the image of what a perfect family looks like was crushed as well. It vexed Harry to no end.

Harry and Lilith stood in silence for a long while, both of them deep in their thoughts.

 _Scene break_

At some point, a very large dog suddenly appeared in front of their bench with a frisbee in its mouth. Its short fur was very clean and lustrous, its body were very well developed and overall it gave off the impression of being a healthy and beautiful dog of a rich family.

The dog put the frisbee on the bench beside Harry and barked at him, greatly startling him.

"I think he wants you to play with him!" Lilith said and giggled softly at Harry's scare.

"But where is its owner?" Harry asked and he looked around but there was no-one particularly standing out. There was an old couple sitting on a bench at some distance away from them and besides those there was only a family of four walking around while eating ice-cream, completely oblivious towards the black dog.

"Aww, are you lost?" Lilith cooed at the black dog as her hand slowly headed towards its head to pet it.

"Oy, stupid, what if it bites you? What if it has rabies?" Harry chided.

"Who're you calling stupid, you idiot?" Lilith retorted. "If he had rabies there would be signs of it!"

She lightly petted the black dog's head and she bent to its eye level.

"Look, he even has a name! He's called Padfoot!" Lilith said enthusiastically.

"Alright, alright, I'm going to throw the frisbee." Harry said in the end. "Look here, you dumb shit, see this round piece of plastic?" Harry said as he waved the frisbee in front of the dog's eyes.

Padfoot began to growl.

"Hoo~ So you have the balls to growl at your master? You think you're the shit?"

Padfoot began to show its fangs and to growl even louder.

Seeing Harry's behaviour, Lilith felt like smacking him.

"Are you serious? Fighting with a dog and swearing at it? Just how dumb can you be?"

"Oh shut it, albino. I don't like the look in its eyes. This mongrel is mocking me!"

Lilith always tried to talk properly like a lady, but that proved to be a fool's errand when she was around Harry. For example, now she even felt like cussing at not being able to throw a Stinging Hex at him because of the Trace. He was that aggravating.

"Give me that!" said Lilith and she snatched the frisbee from Harry's hands. Than she threw it in the air...only for Padfoot to completely ignore her.

Now Lilith felt like kicking the dog herself.

"I can't believe it! Although I petted him he ignores me for you. How is this even remotely fair?"

"Well, he knows who's the boss." Harry said while snickering at Lilith, this only serving to annoy her even more. He retrieved the frisbee from where it had been thrown to and approached Padfoot who was looking dead into his eyes.

"Listen up, you stinky mongrel" Harry said making Padfoot growl at him again "I'm gonna throw this shit and you're gonna catch it. But if you don't get it before it falls to the ground then I'm going to cut off your tiny dick and make you eat it with-"

But that was all Harry managed to say before he huge black dog pounced on him, knocking him down to the ground.

"GAAH!" Harry screamed as the dog bit his shirt and abruptly tugged at it, ripping it in half as if it was made of paper.

When Lilith saw the black dog jumping like that at Harry's throat she shrieked. But when she saw how it tore his shirt apart, for some reason, she felt the urge to burst into laughter.

"Oy, stupid, quit laughing your ass off and help me out." Harry screamed before he jabbed the dog in the ribs so hard that it actually threw it to 6 feet away form him.

Harry punched the dog empowered by his so-called telekinesis - it wasn't the first time he used his "telekinesis" like that (Draco, Crabbe and Goyle could attest that).

Padfoot lifted himself from the ground and started circling Harry like a predator.

"Oy, do something!"

"What do you want me to do, I'm just a girl! Why don't you use your fancy wandless magic?" Lilith mocked.

"Are you stupid? There are like 20 Muggles that could see me now!" Harry yelled while rotating himself to keep his body always with the face towards the dog, not wanting to give it an opening.

Right in that moment, Harry heard Athena's voice as she just woke up from her slumber.

"Harry, be very careful, that dog has quite a powerful magical signature. I doubt it is just a mere dog."

"What?" Harry asked in disbelief. "Is it another magical monstrosity?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think it might be a human that transformed himself into a dog."

Harry's body stiffened as his old predisposition to paranoia kicked in again.

 _'Why would someone disguise himself into a dog to get close to me? Could it be the old bastard?'_

Harry nearly burst into laughter. The thought of the venerable-looking Dumbledore transforming into a dog and coming to him with a frisbee in his mouth was hilarious.

 _'But that doesn't mean that it couldn't be one of his henchmen.'_

Harry decided to not hold back and an idea was born in his mind. If the dog was actually a transformed human, then it should still have the same process of thought. Harry was aware of the fact that most men, when being caught in a headlock, they panic and stop thinking rationally, their whole attention being focused on freeing themselves from their enemy's grasp.

 _'Then...if I were to catch the dog by its neck, wouldn't it panic and then transform itself into a human again?'_

Harry touched his pocket and let a sigh of relief because hehtad not forgotten to take a small knife with him - he has always kept one at him ever since that evening of November when Dumbledore tried to kidnap him.

Harry acted as if he stumbled because of an uneven patch of grass and true to his thoughts, Padfoot took the bait and pounced on him thinking that Harry was done for.

But instead of trying to dodge the dog's pounce, Harry casually froze the dog in mid-air for half a second with his wandless Levitation Charm - just enough for him to get behind it and circle his hand around its neck and catch it in a headlock.

Padfoot began to struggle and tried to bite Harry from everywhere, but the harder the it struggled, the more Harry tightened his grip on its neck.

"Harry, stop!" Lilith anxiously shouted.

But Harry seemed deaf to her calling.

"Harry, stop it, I think he's an Animagus!"

"A what?" Harry barely managed to say between his grunts of effort.

"A man that transformed himself into a dog. Let him go, idiot, are you really trying to kill him?"

"Unless he transforms, I'm not letting it go! Fuck!" Harry swore as Padfoot fangs nearly caught his one of his forearms with its sharp fangs.

"Argh!" Harry suddenly yelled in pain and collapsed on the grass with his hands between his legs - while on the verge of being suffocated, Padfoot stopped trying to bite Harry and suddenly kicked with his inferior members hard...right into Harry's balls.

While Harry was almost rolling on the ground in pain, Padfoot's satisfaction was so high that it was recognizable even on its dog face.

"You little shit!" Harry yelled when he finally got a hold of himself.

Harry's fingers stretched in a form resembling a claw and then he abruptly clenched them into a fist. A painful cry was heard from Padfoot as a an invisible hand grabbed one of its front paws in a vice like grip and started to slowly twist it.

An angry bark and then a painful yelp was heard from Padfoot again before to Harry's awe and disbelief, the dog's silhouette blurred and then rapidly morphed into that of a man.

* * *

AN:

(This has not been proofread by my beta, sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)


	19. Chapter 19 - First Meeting (II)

AN:

This is the 2nd chapter of the week, enjoy!

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello_ ' - thoughts

(The dialogue written with Italic signifies something special: usually Athena's words and sometimes characters talking inside another's characters POV - you'll understand better after reading this chapter)

 **Many thanks to my new beta Dased22 for proofreading this chapter. **

* * *

_Previous chapter_

 _Harry's fingers stretched in a form resembling a claw and then he abruptly clenched them into a fist. A painful cry was heard from Padfoot as a seemingly invisible hand grabbed one of its front paws and started to slowly twist it._

 _An angry bark and then a painful yelp was heard from Padfoot before to Harry's awe and disbelief, the dog's silhouette blurred and rapidly morphed into that of a man._

* * *

 **Chapter 19 - First Meeting (II)**

A well built and handsome man in his thirties, with shoulder length raven black wavy hair and elegantly dressed appeared on his hands and knees in the dog's place.

With a sharp swing of Harry's arm, a small silver knife suddenly rocketed towards the man, abruptly stopping at one inch from piercing his right eye.

 _Sirius' POV_

More than 10 years have passed since I was imprisoned. I've been deprived from any contact with the outside world during that time but it's not like there were many people too eager to see me anyway. Andromeda was probably the only one who still gave a damn about me but even she had became distant since my damned mother banished her. As for Remus...well, he had his 'furry little problem'. After school ended he became more of a recluse than ever.

I was just a little over 20 years old and yet I was already all alone...

At any rate, Marcus still visited me every now and then and briefed me about most important things that happened since his last visit...yet the details about my god son had always been scarce. All I had been told about Harry during my confinement had been that he was living at a Muggle orphanage. I was angry for months because of that - how could James' son be raised in a Muggle orphanage? Even if he's a squib, he's still my god son!

But alas...what could a prisoner like me actually do, especially when the only people I could interact with were Marcus and the Aurors on guard duty? Although I was still unwilling to accept it, I had to resign myself in the end with the idea that I'll take care of him as soon as I got out.

Those were my thoughts until Marcus' son managed to send me through an Auror an edition of the Daily Prophet...I screamed bloody murder afterwards until Marcus finally came. I felt a myriad of emotions; angry at Marcus for having lied to me for the past 3 years and at Dumbledore for endangering my god son, proud of Harry for having actually defeated a troll all by himself and anxious at what could've happened had things gone wrong.

But apparently Marcus had anticipated this entire incident - me eventually finding out about Harry's real situation. With weeks before I even got wind of what had happened, he had gathered the Wizengamot members and proposed my early freedom.

Marcus, although you were a bastard for lying to me, I'll still feel indebted to you for as long as I'll live!

While holding the documents proving I was a free man, I went to the head of DMLE, Amelia Bones' office and received my wand... Even after 10 years, she's still as hot as I remember her to be *cough*

Apparating into the one of the many side alleys of the Knockturn Alley, I transfigured myself into my Animagus form and started searching for Harry. Even after more than 10 years, I still remember his scent, how could I possibly forget it, he's the only family I've got left!

It took me a while to find them, but in the end I found him right as he was about to step through the entrance to Diagon Alley only to find that he wasn't alone.

I followed him and the girl besides him.

Damn, what the hell was Marcus blabbering about, Harry's just like James and I were at his age. Only a Marauder's son would have the balls to steal a policeman's hat.

Bwahaha.

Though I have to say, his wandless Levitation Charm was brilliant. His talent with magic is certainly exceptional.

When Harry finally stopped and took a seat on a bench in a park, I reverted to my human form, conjured a Frisbee and after turning myself back in my Animagus form, I went to him acting as a dog. And then I finally got to clearly see my god son's face after more than 10 years.

Messy and unkempt black hair, a slightly scrawny build, round glasses and the same vibrant green eyes as his mother except...wait. What the heck is wrong with his eyes? Why is there some silver mixed with the green, does he have some sort of illness?

 _"I think he wants you to play with him!"_

Lustrous white hair, pale white complexion and baby blue eyes... Damn, you're worthy to be my god son, Harry! Just eleven years old and you've already bagged yourself a Veela!

N-No, o-of course I'm not jealous dumbass! I'm a grown up man, I wouldn't look at a child! But if she were to be at least 6-7 years older...damn, she's a Veela!

*Ahem*

 _"Aww, are you lost?"_ the girl asked me whilst cooing.

 _"Oi, stupid, what if it bites you? What if it has rabies?"_

I nearly choked on my spit. Just as I'm one of the most handsome men in the world, Padfoot is the same as well. There's no dog any more beautiful than I! How could I have rabies?

 _"Who're you calling stupid, you idiot? If he had rabies there would be signs of it!"_

Haha, just like with James and Lily, she was always chiding James for his lack of common sense! My godson, although you're a little dumb for not recognizing my greatness, you did find a great girl!

Speaking of which, she extended her hand towards my head. Hmm...I'll let her pet me, that's her reward for recognizing my worth!

 _"Look, he even has a name! He's called Padfoot!"_

 _"Alright, alright, I'm going to throw the frisbee."_

 _"Look here, you dumb shit, see this round piece of plastic?"_

The bloody fuck? I couldn't help growling at him. Is this how you treat your dog father? I mean god father..?

 _"Hoo~ so you have the balls to growl at your master? You think you're the shit?"_

As much as I missed you, Harry, I swear to Merlin that I'm going to kick your arse to the moon and back!

 _"Are you serious? Fighting with a dog and swearing at it? Just how dumb can you be?"_

 _"Oh shut it, albino. I don't like the look in its eyes. This mongrel is mocking me!"_

Is this how you speak with your girlfriend? You rude bast... wait, did you just call me a mongrel? Did you just call Sirius Black a mongrel? ...you little shit.

 _"Give me that!"_ said the girl and threw the frisbee. Sadly for her, I'm not in the mood anymore.

 _"I can't believe it! Although I petted him he ignores me for you. How is that even remotely fair?"_

Sorry hun, this god father has to discipline his unruly god son.

 _"Well, he knows who the boss is."_

 _"Listen up, you stinky mongrel"_

 _"I'm gonna throw this shit and you're gonna catch it. But if you don't get it before it falls to the ground then I'm going to cut off your tiny dick and make you eat it with-"_

Gah, I had enough! I pounced on him and with a tug I ripped his shirt to shreds. He looked no better than a homeless gypsy.

Bwahaha! If were in my human right then, I'd probably roll on the ground laughing my ass off. And I wouldn't be the only one, the girl would be joining me as well.

 _"Oi, stupid, quit laughing your ass off and help me out!"_

That's what Harry yelled before jabbing me in the ribs.

Gah!

What's with this crazy strength?! Goddamn, I think he broke my ribs. Now I believe what Marcus said about Harry beating three students half to death without using any magic.

But seriously, what have they been feeding him?

 _"Oi, do something!"_

I started circling around him like a predator. Haha, what can I say, after 10 years of imprisonment, bullying my god son is far more fun than I can care to admit.

Bwahah, you slipped, now you're done for!

T-The hell?

Did he just freeze me in mid-air? Did he just use a wandless and nonverbal Freezing Charm?

Oy, oy, the plot thickens. Are you really trying to kill me?

 _"Harry, stop it, I think he's an Animagus!"_

How did she figure that? Or is she just saying that so I can be released?

 _"A what?"_

 _"A man that transformed himself into a dog. Let him go, idiot, are you really trying to kill him?"_

What's with this vice like grip on my neck? I don't think even a grown up man has this much power in his arms

 _"Unless he transforms, I'm not letting it go! Fuck!"_

You... are you really trying to kill me? Idiot, I can't even concentrate enough to turn myself back when you're suffocating me like this!

I didn't want to do that, but you brought it upon yourself!

"You little shit!"

Bwahah serves you right! Don't worry, though, I didn't kick you hard enough to deprive of your ability to make bab- what in the Merlin's name is this? Something is painfully squeezing my paw. Oy, you're going to snap it!

The pain was so much that I involuntarily changed back into my human form.

I looked into Harry's eyes but... There was none of the rude playfulness present in his eyes when he insulted me a few minutes ago.

It was just a cold look and the silver in his green eyes seemed to have expanded in that moment. This wasn't the look an 11 year old boy should have in his eyes. No...it's the look of someone willing to do anything in order to achieve something, even if he has to step on dead bodies in order to accomplish it.

*Swish*

I didn't even see what caused that sound until said object stopped just shy away from piercing my skull. A silver knife was hovering menacingly in front of my right eye, ready to take my life at just the slightest twitch of my god son's index finger...just how did it come to this?

 _Back to normal POV_

"Who the hell are you?" Harry asked harshly, his childish voice doing nothing to lessen the dangerous edge it emitted.

But Sirius was so shocked for the moment that he was at a loss of what to say.

"Harry, stop it! Can't you see how many Muggles are around?"

 _'So your concern is that some Muggle will witness my death, not that I'm going to get killed?! What the..'_ Sirius thought, in disbelief at Lilith's words.

"I don't really give a damn. The worst the Ministry can do me is to break my wand and fine me. But I'm filthy rich anyway, and my wand is useless. There's nothing stopping me from gouging out this bastard's eye."

"I'm asking you one more time: who are you?" Harry asked forcefully and the silver knife started to tremble as if it was on the point of plunging forward.

"I'm Sirius. Sirius Black."

The metaphorical light bulb appeared in Harry's mind as he remembered one of the books he had read in his month of occupation at the Leaky Cauldron, before starting as a first year at Hogwarts - _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy._ From there Harry remembered that the Blacks were thought to be one of the oldest pureblood wizarding families in the entire Great Britain. Harry also remembered that Sirius Black and Andromeda Tonks were the only surviving members of the family in the Blood War's aftermath.

' _But why would a Black try to spy on me?'_

"Were you sent by Dumbledore? Are you Dumbledore's man?" Harry asked with his eyes narrowed.

"No, I'm not."

 _"He's not being entirely truthful."_ Athena's voice sounded in Harry's mind.

"Why are you lying to me? Are you tired of living?" Harry said darkly.

Sirius got a bad premonition so he didn't hide it:

"I used to fight for Dumbledore during the war a decade ago, but then I was imprisoned for more than 10 years. Right now I have no other remaining ties with him, I just got freed."

 _"He's speaking the truth this time."_ Athena said. Harry couldn't help but ask her in his thoughts.

 _'And how would you know that?'_

 _"Don't forget who I am, Harry. I'm Athena, I was the Goddess of Wisdom. It is a child's play for me to determine whether one is speaking truthfully or not judging by their facial expression and their body's movements."_

"Weren't the Blacks known for having supported Voldemort and the pureblood cause? How come you, a Black, were on the side of the commoners?" Harry asked now genuinely surprised since Athena also confirmed to him that the man's words were not lies.

"You know about the Blacks but you don't know about me?" Sirius asked Harry incredulously. "I'm Sirius Black, the black sheep of my family, a Gryffindor and..."

"...I'm also your god father.

An unreadable expression surfaced on Harry's face and he asked in confusion:

"What is a god father?"


	20. Chapter 20 - Start of the Second Year

AN:

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

Many thanks to my beta, **Dased22** , for proofreading this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 20 - Start of the Second Year**

 _"Gellert, this isn't what we planned together!"_

 _"Open your eyes, Albus! For all your brilliance, sometimes you're so naive that one might think you suffer from multiple personality disorder." said Gellert, a young blonde haired wizard who would come to be known as one of the most dangerous Dark Lords in the recorded history._

 _In the heat of their argument, the two friends both took out their wands._

 _"You know very well, Gellert that I hate Muggles as well for what they did to Ariana. But that doesn't give me the right to kill every Muggle out there. Because not everyone is the same. In your crazed plan too many innocents would perish!"_

 _"Everything in life is obtained by making sacrifices, Albus!" Grindelwald shouted, anger beginning to creep into his voice. "Do you think the Muggle governments will simply bow down just because they'll hear that we have what they see as superpowers?"_

 _"The Muggles aren't that helpless as most wizards think them to be, Albus!" Grindelwald continued. "Unlike most wizards, I researched the Muggle world in order to know how to conquer it. And I recently found out from an American Secret Operative that the USA's military just developed a weapon capable of wiping out a city like London in heartbeat!"_

 _"Do you think they will bow down to wizards just because we can transfigure water in wine? There will be WAR, Albus!"_

 _"Sure, innocents will be sacrificed and many lives will be destroyed. But at the end of the day it is the Greater Good that matters!" Grindelwald shouted._

 _But the young Dumbledore had had just enough and a bright red jet of light was shot from his wand towards Grindelwald._

 _"Are you going to stand against me, Albus? I thought that you of all people would understand my intentions, my noble goal!" Grindelwald said enraged._

 _"What you want to do is nothing but a folly, Gellert. I can't allow you to start a war that would possibly affect the entire world!"_

 _The two started to trade blows but none of their spells landed on the other._

 _The door of the room Grindelwald and Dumbledore were in opened and a brown haired young man pushing a girl sitting in a wheelchair came in with an angry look on his face._

 _"Albus, keep it down! You and your *friend* there are scaring Ariana!"_

 _"Not now Abeforth! Don't butt into things that don't concern you!" said Dumbledore barely sparing him a glance._

 _The young man called Abeforth immediately got angry and shouted as he pointed his wand at Albus Dumbledore:_

 _"You've always been like that Albus! Always acting all high and mighty and with that air of superiority around you as if nothing could compare to your genius. I don't care about you and your idealistic bullshit. Take your gay friend and get the bloody fuck out of this house!" (1)_

 _A three way duel began and a flurry of spells started to be thrown around. At some point the three men's and the girl's faces began to be distorted and cracks started to appear along the room's walls and ceiling. The light seemed to fade away and a black fog covered everything_. (2)

 _Scene break_

The now over a century old Albus Dumbledore gasped as his face came out from the circular shaped stone bowl. It was an exceedingly rare and expensive magical artefact; a Pensieve.

With his steps wobbling, the old wizard barely managed to reach his seat at his desk and sat down on it heavily. Although his old hands covered most of his face, two traces of tears could still be seen flowing down his face into his long silvery white beard.

Over 8 decades passed since that memory in the Pensieve happened but even to this day, it hurt as badly as it did back then. Back then he lost the most important three things in his life: his sister Ariana died, Grindelwald cut off all of his ties with him and became a Dark Lord and lastly, he lost his brother as well. No, his brother didn't die, but ever since that day Abeforth stopped looking at him like at a brother.

 _'Not that I could blame him.'_

It's been decades since he has watched this memory in the Pensieve...until this day he has always kept this certain memory buried deep in a corner of his mind thanks to his Occlumency. But today he purposely dug it out to watch it. And Abeforth's words were now reverberating inside his mind:

 _"You've always been like that Albus! Always acting all high and mighty and with that air of superiority around you as if nothing could compare to your genius."_

Memories from the past flashed through his eyes and Dumbledore had to bitterly admit to himself that Abeforth's words were dead on. There had been multiple instances in which he imposed his will onto others, without caring about their thoughts, assuming that he knew much better than them. It was true most of the time, given both his age and superior intellect, but there were also times when he had been wrong. And when he happened to be wrong, the consequences were devastating to state it simply. The best example was the last incident a year ago: with the intent to lure Voldemort into the school, he asked Nicholas Flamel to lend him the Philosopher's Stone and he also brought highly dangerous creatures into the school, disregarding the students' safety. And all that, for the sake of catching Voldemort, for the sake of the Greater Good.

And now that he failed, the consequences had indeed been devastating: a dead student and four others nearly killed by a troll as well. But the worst thing that happened was that Voldemort got the Stone!

Dumbledore rubbed his eyes tiredly. What should he do? How will he deal with Voldemort now that he was about to truly resurrect? For the moment he was possessing Quirrell, but how long would it take Voldemort to learn of all the Stone's abilities and either fully take control of Quirrell's body with its help or forge himself a new body?

 _'And the Child of the Prophecy is nowhere near the level where he'll be able to stand a chance against someone like Voldemort...what am I even thinking about? Even amongst his peers Neville Longbottom isn't particularly bright.'_

Dumbledore could barely suppress his ire and anxiety at the situation. He had proposed Frank and Alice Longbottom to let him decide baby Neville's education and living arrangements but they had had none of it. Sure, as parents they couldn't bear parting with their child. But as the Ministry's officials and Aurors, they should've had the wisdom to see the real value of their son's existence. From the moment Neville Longbottom survived the Killing Curse he had stopped being just their son. From that moment Neville had become the beacon of light for the British Wizarding World.

 _'And now that Frank and Alice refused to listen to me, Neville Longbottom is anything but what he was supposed to be.'_ Dumbledore lamented.

 _'Neville had only shown average aptitude with magic...through lots of hard work and dedication that could be rectified...but his character...'_

Being raised in a warm environment and being always praised and pampered by all of his acquaintances every time they saw him, made Neville become arrogant. Children's personalities are very easily influenced. And because of the showers of praise he received everyday from everyone, Neville Longbottom became like the typical arrogant heir of a pureblood family. Dumbledore couldn't help but think that the only difference between Neville and Draco Malfoy was that Neville didn't despise Muggleborns. Apart from that they were very similar.

Because of that Dumbledore could only turn his eyes towards Harry Potter. The one who escaped from the fate of becoming the Child of Prophecy only thanks to James and Lily's scheme when they declared him a squib at birth. If it weren't for that, Voldemort would've surely gone after Harry instead of Neville, of that Dumbledore was certain.

 _'Harry Potter's talent with magic is even better than mine or Voldemort's when we were his age. Plus, his resourcefulness and his decisiveness are something even grown ups would be humbled to see'_

Dumbledore felt his heartbeats quicken and the hair all over his body stood erect when he remembered the ice cold look in Harry's eyes when he put the silver knife at his own neck, choosing to rather kill himself in cold blood instead of submitting to him.

 _'Harry Potter will become one of the greatest wizards to have ever lived. I myself have often been called as the contemporary Merlin, but if Harry is allowed to grow, he'll leave everyone in the dust. Even I will not be his match...not by far.'_

In Dumbledore's mind Harry was the answer to all of his worries regarding Voldemort. He was determined to do everything in his power to bring him to his side, on the Light's side. But Dumbledore knew very well by now that force would not work on Harry. Harry was similar to those trees that would rather proudly stand tall and break in front of a powerful gale of wind instead of bending to save their lives. Dumbledore understood from his last encounter with Harry that his previous approach was wrong.

Therefore, he'll push aside his aura of mystery and he'll stop beating around the bush by putting up false fronts. He'll tell Harry straight all of his thoughts and he'll sincerely confront him. Dumbledore understood that it was time for him to stop trying to manipulate Harry into doing his own bidding. It was the time for him to act with sincerity.

 _Monday, 31st of August, 1992_

"You know, all of you didn't have to come here to send me off." Harry said a bit embarrassed and more than a little overwhelmed since there was an entire crowd staring at their group, them attracting even more attention than the Boy Who Lived himself. With 3 Veela amongst themselves and with everyone's foreign accent, the Argyris family naturally attracted everyone's attention.

"Haha, how could we possibly not?" Iason Argyris, Lilith's grandfather, said as he ruffled Harry's already messy hair.

"What, are you ashamed to let me walk you to the train?" Galatea asked with a fake hurt expression on her face.

"N-No, of course not-" Harry tried to said hurriedly but Galatea burst into laughter and took him into her arms. Harry stiffened for a moment in her embrace (he was still not very comfortable with being shown affection), but forced himself to relax afterwards.

Galatea placed a wet kiss on Harry's forehead and her face bloomed with delight at Harry's beet red complexion.

"Just look at yourself Harry. You're just a pipsqueak yet you have already stolen not just my little girl's heart but my wife's as well! Just what am I going to do with-?"

"DAD!" Lilith yelled in embarrassment at her father's words. She looked at Harry but then she immediately averted her eyes, not daring to see what he thought of her.

Everyone laughed heartily at the two children's blushing faces and Sirius who stood near them couldn't help feeling envy at that sight.

 _'They're just like a family._ ' Sirius thought almost with a mournful face.

 _'What am I feeling dejected for? I selfishly chose to get revenge for James and Lily instead of taking care of Harry back then. Had I stopped after killing Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers, I would have probably not been convicted since they were known Death Eaters. But the damned Rat didn't have the Mark, so it was basically his murder that locked me behind the bars for a decade.'_

 _'I had abandoned Harry for my revenge. I don't have the right to feel envy just because he found other people to call family. I should be happy instead.'_ Sirius said in his mind, angry at himself and his own feelings.

After their unusual first meeting, when Harry found that Sirius was his god father, to Sirius' bitterness, Harry was completely indifferent.

 _Flashback_

"So you're supposed to be something like a father figure for me?"

"But...I've always been alone in both the good and the bad times. I don't really care about family in the sense most people seem to think. My family consists of those who helped me, of those I trust."

"I'm not being a dick here, but to me you're just a stranger. Don't tell me you were expecting me to jump in your arms like a lost orphan would..."

"Besides, there's nothing you could actually give me. Money? I have enough money to live my whole life lazing around without doing anything. A place to live? Galatea and Hector are more than willing to take care of my needs. They have been doing that for half a year now."

"As for you becoming a father figure for me?"

"I don't want to experience the feeling of having a father because I don't need anyone to boss me around and to keep me under his thumb. I've managed to make my own decisions pretty well until now, I don't need anyone to make them for me."

 _Flashback End_

Harry had not been hostile to Sirius after having found out that he was his god father. He didn't get angry even when Sirius told him that he actually chose to get revenge for his parents instead taking care of him - Harry actually told him that he would've most likely done the same in his situation.

Sirius was at a loss of how to proceed in building up his relationship with Harry. Sometimes he even felt like it would've been better if Harry had been hostile to him instead of being indifferent.

But oblivious to Sirius' internal conflict, the Argyris continued to say their goodbyes to Harry.

Helen (Lilith's grandmother) went to Harry and she looked at him lovingly as she tried to straighten the collar of his blue shirt.

"Remember what I taught you, dear?" She asked Harry with a small smile on her usual stern face.

Harry made an annoyed face, but he couldn't bring himself to say no to her.

"I do. I'll mind my manners when I eat, I'll stop talking rudely to those older than me-" and at Helen's pointed look he added quickly "and to those younger than me as well."

"Very good. But is that all?" Helen asked expectantly.

"I'll also try my hardest to not bring shame the name of Argyris... but my name is Potter. What does that have to do with your name?"

Helen flicked his forehead lightly and said:

"These are just technicalities. Although your surname may be Potter, you're still part of the Argyris family. Besides, I dare say your surname won't remain the same for too long."

Sirius' face darkened at Hellen's words, but Harry didn't notice that. Instead he asked cheekily:

"...are you thinking of doing what I think you're thinking you're going to do?" (3)

"Still have the cheek to talk like that to me?" Helen said half-jokingly, half-seriously.

"No, Hel-"

"I'm afraid I didn't hear you well." Helen said with a light glare.

"No, grandma." said Harry with a bit of difficulty. It was hard calling Helen grandma not only because that implied the familial relationships but also because Helen looked nothing like a grandmother normally does. She was already over 90 years old but one wouldn't give her more than 50 based on just her appearance. And even for a 50 years old woman she looked beautiful. Being a Veela certainly had its perks.

"There you go!" Helen said happily at being called 'grandma' by Harry. She was the only one who managed to make Harry call her like that. Galatea, Hector and Iason had all tried to make Harry call them 'mother, father and grandpa', but with no success. For some reason, Helen was the only one who got that close to Harry. But it shouldn't be that surprising given that while Hector and Galatea were most of the time busy with their research and Iason with his wand making, Helen was the one who spent the most time in Harry's company, trying to give him a proper education during his time at their manor.

"However," Helen said as she whispered to Harry's ear "We don't want you to make a decision right away. Think it thoroughly, this is not something to be done rashly because once you decide to become our family in name as well, you'll be ours for life. There won't be turning back from then on. Think about it seriously, especially since we are not the only ones in your life anymore, you also have your godfather with you now."

But to Helen and the rest of the Argyris' surprise, Harry actually lifted his arms and hugged her! It was the first time they saw Harry initiating a hug with someone and Helen herself was so moved by his gesture that her bright blue eyes became wet.

"You're right that I should think about it for a long time before giving you my answer." Harry told Helen quietly "Sirius is a nice guy, I have nothing against him. But it was you and the rest of your family that took me in first despite of who I am. I've always been aware of the sacrifice you made - taking in a rude delinquent and putting up with his crap must have-"

"Language, dear!" Helen interrupted sternly.

"-not been easy. I'm grateful to you and if I were to become someone's son, you'd hold the priority in front of my god father." Harry finished.

"If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it. Helen herself getting emotional? It must be the end of the world. Haha!" Iason teased, tactlessly breaking the emotional scene between Helen and Harry.

But Iason's mouth clamped shut when he saw the murderous look his wife sent at him and Galatea, Hector and Lilith burst into laughter.

"So you're going to Mahoutokoro, huh?" Harry asked Lilith when she came to him.

"Yep. But I'll be starting directly in the 2nd semester of the 3rd year." Lilith said smugly.

"Why 2nd semester? Don't you also start the new year this week?"

"I do, but at Mahoutokoro the school year's structure is different. The 1st semester starts in April and ends at the end of July and then there's the summer holiday. In September it starts the 2nd semester which lasts until the 20 something of December and then the 3rd semester begins in early January and ends at the end of March."

"...that's messed up." said Harry.

"Well, apparently it's not just Mahoutokoro but even the Muggle schools in Japan, they all have the same structure of the school year."

An awkward moment of silence instilled between the two teenagers when Lilith finished her explanation while the rest of the Argyris and Sirius watched them from the side-lines with great interest.

"Admit it, you're going to miss me until Christmas comes." Lilith said eventually with a teasing grin.

"As if! Who's gonna miss someone as noisy as you!" Harry retorted.

Another moment of silence followed, neither of them knowing what to say and neither of them having the guts to be honest towards each other when there were so many eyes watching them.

But in the end Lilith couldn't bear it and she took Harry by surprise when she hugged him.

"Well, I am going to miss you." Lilith whispered into his ear while she hugged him. "Thank you again for saving my life Harry!" and she planted a shy but quick kiss on his left cheek before jumping away from him with such a speed that for a moment Harry had the impression that she Disapparated.

With her face boiling, Lilith was now hiding with her face buried into Galatea's back, not daring to let anyone see her.

Harry was rendered speechless. He could hear two people catcalling and wolf-whistling in the background, but he was too overwhelmed by Lilith's actions. Her soft fragrance of lavender still lingered on his clothes and the place where she kissed him felt like it was burning. Sure, he had held her close to his body before while practicing dancing, but this time it was different...he was petrified.

In the background Helen and Galatea were barely containing their laughter at Harry's dazed face, Hector had a blank, stupefied expression on his face and the two man-children that wolf-whistled at the two teenagers were looking at each other and sported shit-eating grins on their faces while thinking one about the other:

 _'You're not a bad bloke. Not at all. We're going to get along greatly.'_

The red Express of Hogwarts whistled loudly and all the students that were still on the platform started to hurriedly get into the train's carriages.

Sirius came to Harry and gave him a small rectangular mirror.

"I know we're not close enough to give each other gifts, but please take this."

When Harry was about to refuse, Sirius said:

"It's a mirror working in the same manner as a phone. You don't have to use it if you don't want to. But please promise me you'll keep it there with you all the time, wherever you go! You don't know when will there come an unforeseeable situation and you'll need help. I wish such situations won't happen, but if they do, don't hesitate to ask for my help."

"I- ...I've not been a part of your life when you needed me the most but I only want you to give me a chance. Either way, I'd never turn my back to you if you ever asked for my help. In the end I'm still your dog father."

"I meant god father."

Harry cracked a smile a Sirius' pun and decided to accept the mirror. He shook hands with Sirius and then climbed into the carriage. But right before he closed the door, Iason hurriedly handed him a large package that magically appeared in his hands all of a sudden. It was wrapped in brown paper and Harry could barely hold it but not because of its weight but because of its size.

"Promise me you won't open it until after the banquet when you'll be in your dorm. Promise me?" the old wizard said.

"Yes, I promise!" said Harry even though he was dying to see just what was wrapped in that 2 feet large cubic package.

The train started to move and Harry continued to wave his hand until the Argyris disappeared from his view.

 _'It's so nice having a family.'_ Harry thought and he sighed in happiness as he headed towards the compartment of the carriage where he left his trunk before getting down from the train to say his final goodbyes.

* * *

AN:

(1) Rowling said about Dumbledore that he was gay and that he had fallen in love with Grindelwald but she didn't say whether Grindelwald had returned his affections or not. I just took a minor liberty to assume Grindelwald did as well. But don't worry, this isn't a slash fic and I won't pursue Dumbledore's past. This was just a memory I used to justify Dumbledore's change of attitude towards Harry.

(2) It's the signs that speak about Dumbledore's memeory being damaged regarding that event (even in canon he didn't remember clearly just whowas the one that killed Ariana)

(3) Just in case you didn't get it, Helen talked about adopting Harry.


	21. Chapter 21 - Changes

AN: This is the 2nd chapter of the week. Enjoy!

Those of my readers that are also fans of the anime Naruto, please vote on the poll on my profile. Thank you!

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

Many thanks to **Dased22** for proofreading this cchapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 21 - Changes**

 _The Great Hall, on the evening of 31th of August_

Due to last year having been cut short, the 7th year students that should have normally graduated were now present as well. Because of that the four tables of the students were unusually crowded. Not only were the students crowded, but the Professors' Table was the same as well, having around six to seven more people than in the previous years.

"Before we all start the banquet, I'd like to make a few announcements." Minerva McGonagall's stern voice rang across the Great Hall when she stood up. "As you all know, due to last year's tragic incidents, the Minister of Magic felt the need to intervene into Hogwarts' affairs. As a result of that, a series of changes have been made. First of all, Professor Albus Dumbledore has been demoted from his position as the Headmaster of Hogwarts and I, Minerva McGonagall, have been appointed as the Headmistress in his place. Following that, Professor Dumbledore will teach the Transfiguration classes from now on."

All the students clapped their hands and more than a few were brimming with excitement at the thought of having Dumbledore as their teacher. He may have been a senile old man in many people's opinion but no-one could possibly deny his skills in magic. Dumbledore was a living legend.

"Secondly, because the last year has been cut short, next week on Saturday, every one of you will have to be examined. Except for the first years, each one of the students will be examined by a delegation coming from the Ministry of Magic, the exams being held in the same manner as the OWLs from the 5th year. That being said, based on the results you have obtained you will have to either repeat the last year, continue with the current one or even skip it. As for the 7th year students from the last year-"

But McGonagall didn't get to finish her words as the Great Hall was in an uproar. Everyone had begun to talk and shout loudly with most of the students protesting vehemently.

"Taking exams in the second week already?"

"Stop messing around!"

"There's no way I'm going to take the Potion Exam once again!"

"To Hell with this!"

These and other similar things were what everyone was shouting, even the Slytherins who were normally more subdued and rarely made any noise.

Suddenly, a powerful boom that shook all the cutlery on the four tables silenced everyone instantly. From the right end of the professors' table a middle aged man with a sharp expression and piercing black eyes was standing up with his wand pointed upwards. He was short and skinny and at the first glance one would not take him seriously. But the aura he exuded while holding his wand gave one a feeling of danger and his piercing glare put everyone around him on edge. The overall feeling he gave off was that he wasn't someone that should be underestimated.

"The Headmistress of Hogwarts was talking! Is your behaviour worthy of Hogwarts? Is this the behaviour of a civilized citizen of Great Britain? You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

A deafening silence followed the middle-aged man's abrasive words and no-one dared to make a sound anymore.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Willbury." Minerva McGonagall said before turning her head back to the students. "As I was saying...As for the 5th and 7th year students from the last year they will directly take the OWLs and NEWTs next week. Depending on their results the 5th years will either advance normally into the 6th year or repeat the 5th while the 7th years will either graduate or repeat the year as well."

This time no-one interrupted McGonagall anymore and she continued:

"As you have already noticed, Severus Snape and Sybill Trelawney are not present this evening. They have been removed from their positions as professors at Hogwarts due to them being found to be unfit by the Ministry's evaluators and respectively unqualified to teach. Professor Binns who used to teach the History of Magic has also been removed."

When the students heard about Severus Snape and the ghost teacher having been fired, they all burst into loud cheers and clapped their hands happily. Moreover, at least 3 quarters of the students had happiness written on their faces.

"Therefore, there are quite a few new additions to our staff: first of all, let me introduce you Horace Slughorn. He has taught at Hogwarts before and many of your parents had been his students. He is the new professor of Potions and also the new Head of the Slytherin House."

An old and fat man got up from his seat with an unnatural ease and smiled jovially at the students who clapped their hands politely.

"In addition Divination has been removed from the curriculum but Muggle Studies has become a compulsory object for all the students the 4th year and above. Alchemy has been introduced as a compulsive object for all the 6th and 7th year students who had obtained at least an E at the OWLs of Charms, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes and Potions."

"Also, Professor Quirrell has gone missing and we could not contact him. That's why the Ministry made sure to hire a new teacher for the classes of Defense against Dark Arts. Let me introduce you Sirius Black, your new DADA teacher and the new Head of the Gryffindor House!"

Very loud cheers and a clamour of voices immediately erupted, there being various reactions amongst the students.

"Sirius Black? That Sirius Black?"

"Parvati, look, he's sooo hot!"

"Bloody Hell!" gushed a red haired boy at the Gryffindor table "My father told me that Black killed Bellatrix Lestrange and the Lestrange brothers all by himself at the same time!"

"Who were they?" asked one of the redhead's friends who was a muggleborn.

"You don't know them because you had not been raised in the Wizarding World, but Bellatrix Lestrange was You-Know-Who's right hand, she was the most powerful follower of his. The Lestrange brothers were also known as some of the cruelest and vicious Death Eaters, they often liked to torture their victims to death."

The muggleborn student's face paled and he looked in awe and slight fear at the smiling man in his thirties that was going to be the new Head of his House.

And it wasn't only the said student that had those feelings, many other felt the same: both apprehensive and enthusiastic at the thought of having someone like Sirius teaching them DADA. Someone that managed to defeat three of the most skilled Death Eaters all by himself was bound to know his stuff well.

But the most startled of them all was in fact Harry Potter. He was truly the most surprised about Sirius coming to teach at Hogwarts especially since before boarding the train Sirius had acted as if they were not going to see each other for a long time.

"Note-worthy is also the fact that professor Flitwick has taken an apprentice who will assist him in his classes of Charms. Her name is Irene Argyris and she will stay at Hogwarts under professor Flitwick's tutelage for the next 3 years." McGonagall said.

A beautiful girl in her late teens sat up and waved timidly at the students. She was 5'4" tall and her body was a bit skinny but not overly so. Her wavy chestnut hair flowed to the middle of her back and her bright hazel eyes sparkled with intelligence. Besides that, her tanned complexion and the beauty mark at the corner of her pink lips gave her an air of being at least different if not special.

If the applause for Dumbledore becoming the Transfiguration teacher had been enthusiastic, the ones for Slughorn warm and the ones for Sirius loud and full of vigour, then the applause Irene Argyris received were thunderous! The male half of the students were especially enthusiastic.

"I call dibs!"

"Sod off, loser, as if a hottie like her would look at someone like you!"

"Merlin, I think I've just fallen in love!"

"Does she have a boyfriend?"

There were even two red haired twins that wolf-whistled at Irene making her lower her head in embarrassment. Her complexion became rosy and she sat down right away, not daring to lift her eyes, all the while fiddling nervously with her fingers.

But it couldn't really be helped, most teachers at Hogwarts were very old, with the youngest being in their forties. It was no wonder that the girls were very enthusiastic about Sirius being the new DADA teacher and the boys almost crazy about having a pretty hot girl barely a few years older, teaching them Charms.

Harry Potter once again in that evening received a big surprise: Argyris Irene! She was Lilith's sister, the one who left home due to feeling neglected by Hector and Galatea. Apparently Irene really became an apprentice to a Charms Master...who would've thought though that she would come at Hogwarts?

"I have a feeling Mrs. Argyris will have no troubles getting along with the students." McGonagall said with a hint of amusement in her voice, much to Irene's further embarrassment and causing another wave of cheers from the students.

"I know that you're all anxious to start eating after riding the Express for 8 hours, but I only have 4 more announcements to make: first, let me introduce you the professor of History of Magic, William Redcliff."

A middle aged man with dark blonde hair and a serious face sat up and bowed curtly towards the students who clapped their hands politely.

"Next, Argus Filch has been removed from his position as the caretaker of Hogwarts."

McGonagall didn't even attempt to say anything else since she anticipated the enthusiastic answer she was going to receive from the students. And she wasn't disappointed, the students' cheers rivalled those for the announcement about Severus Snape's removal. Argus Filch and Severus Snape must have been without a doubt the two most hated individuals at Hogwarts in the last decade.

"Therefore, his job of cleaning and patrolling the corridors of the castle will be handled from now on by the House Elves for the cleaning part and by a squad of Aurors for the patrolling part. Yes, you heard right. Minister Martlesham had seen fit to raise the level of security at Hogwarts to prevent any kind of danger. Mr. Willbury here is the leader of his squad which consists of other 5 members: John Abbot, Barty Crouch Jr., Wilhelm Belby and two former students of Hogwarts that graduated last year. I'm certain that most of you know them, Antoinette Malfoy and Nymphadora Tonks!"

The students were rather unwilling to clap for the edgy Auror that admonished them before but when they heard the two girls that just last year graduated, they burst into cheers.

Harry also looked curiously at the two girls, especially at the one bearing the surname Malfoy, Antoinette. If Harry hadn't lived for almost a year in the same house with three Veela thus getting accustomed to seeing beautiful women every day he would've probably gasped in admiration at Antoinette's beauty: waist length platinum blonde hair, electric blue eyes, pale white skin, and aristocratic facial features with high cheekbones and a slightly angular jaw. She exuded an air of elegance despite wearing Auror robes and her expressionless face made her look like an ice queen.

 _'Malfoy? Is she that little bastard's sister?'_ Harry thought incredulously. _'Sure, she has the same platinum blonde hair but her demeanour is completely different from that dumb and obnoxious brat.'_

 _'In fact,_ ' Harry continued his thoughts _'how come she didn't even try to at least tell me something when I beat up her brother to an inch of his life? She became an Auror right after graduating and that even in spite of the fact that the last year has been cut short. That means she must be a brilliant witch, she could've royally kicked my butt.'_

Compared to a year ago when Harry just found out about the Wizarding World, now Harry had a much better understanding of it. At first he had been like those lion cubs that would even attack an elephant, their ignorance making them feel no fear. But after being knocked back from his 'throne' twice by Dumbledore and thanks to the education he received from the Argyris (mainly Helen), Harry's assessment of the real situation had completely changed. He understood now clearly the vast power gap between a 2nd and a 7th year student, respectively between an ordinary wizard and a trained one.

As if sensing Harry's intense gaze at her, Antoinette turned her head at him and lifted a supple eyebrow in a silent question. Caught 'red-handed' Harry didn't become flustered. Instead, he merely switched his eyes towards the other girl. He was situated at the end of the Slytherin table, the end near the Professors' table and because of that he was close enough to easily discern her features.

Dark twinkling eyes, a pale heart-shaped face, and short spiky hair which was...

 _'Purple? '_ Harry barely managed to keep himself from exclaiming.

From what Harry understood the Aurors were something like the wizarding equivalents of the Muggle policemen. Because of the he couldn't understand just how someone like Nymphadora Tonks could be accepted into their ranks with that outrageous hairstyle. But he had to admit, passing over the apparent craziness, that the hairstyle actually suited her quite well.

McGonagall also said something about a new system for the Quidditch competition and about the Ministry hiring private coaches that would come at Hogwarts every week to train the four houses' teams but Harry barely heard any of her words, he was too absorbed into studying the weird Auror with the disposition of a sunshine.

But then he made the connection:

 _'Nymphadora Tonks, daughter of Sirius' cousin, Andromeda Tonks nee Black. We...we actually are distantly related..._ _That boring book about the Wizarding Genealogy I had read last year before coming at Hogwarts proves to be unexpectedly useful._ '

However, Harry stopped thinking about that because following that line of thought he realized that he was also distantly related to Draco Malfoy whom he hated. It was better for his mental health to not think too much about such things.

While Harry was examining Tonks, McGonagall finally finished her speech and everyone started to eat voraciously with very few of the students actually minding their manners.

 _"Keep you elbows close to your sides...only the wrists have to be above the table."_

 _"Don't take the meat with your hands like a Neolithic tribesman for god's sake! Use the fork! ...Sigh, let me show you... hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right."_

 _"...You know...there's no meaning in slicing the meat if you're only slicing it in half and then still wolf it down like a starved animal."_

Harry grimaced at the memories of Helen teaching him the dinner etiquette...No, that couldn't even considered dinner etiquette, it was more like teaching Harry the way people ate in the 20th century in England.

Harry deftly held the knife and the fork and started to slowly slice the sausages on his plate, eating one piece at a time.

A loud rumble was heard from Harry's stomach as it was now roused and Harry felt the urge to just throw aside the knife and the fork and simply stuff himself to the brim without caring about anything else.

 _"Do not bring shame to the Argyris family."_ the voice of an imaginary Helen suddenly sounded inside of Harry head.

 _'Fuck!'_ Harry lamented but even that was said in his thoughts as his grandmother figure often admonished him for his coarse language. He would talk as politely as he could because of that, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to continue swearing like a sailor in his mind.

Harry continued to eat in proper manner for a while, but then he made the mistake to look again at the crazy-looking purple-haired girl, Tonks, just as her nose morphed into a pig snout.

Harry suddenly burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter and almost choked with the pumpkin juice he was drinking, the juice bursting from his mouth and even through his nose.

 _'There goes my first attempt at eating properly in front of strangers...'_ Harry absent-mindedly thought when he saw the looks he received from his table colleagues.

 _Scene break_

At a few seats away from Harry a dark skinned boy was fiddling in his seat seemingly distressed.

"You should go talk to him, Dan." a fourteen years old brown haired girl whispered to him.

But Dan shook his head.

"I can't do it, Gwen. You don't know just how badly I talked to him back then...on top of that he even saved my life afterwards despite my words...how could I possibly still have the face to go talk to him? Besides, what should I even tell him first? Sorry? Or thanks for saving my life despite me acting like a dick and purposely putting myself in danger?"

Gwen didn't have any words at that and she chose to stay silent.

"I'll try talking to him when we get to the dorms..." Dan said in the end.

The dinner proceeded with no further notable incidents and after eating their fill, all the students sat up and began to leave the Great Hall, heading towards their dorms. Harry was about to exit the Great Hall as well when a little paper plane came hovering above everyone's heads and stopped right in from of Harry where it unfurled itself and a few words appeared.

 _Please meet me this evening in the office of Transfiguration Professor. It is urgent._

 _Albus Dumbledore_.

Harry's first thought was to use the Fire-Making Charm and burn the note to ashes right then and right then. If there was a man Harry hated the most, then that honour would go to Dumbledore. However, his eyes inadvertently fell on the word 'Please' once again... Since when has Dumbledore started saying 'please'? He never did that. Everything he had said was like mild order that didn't sound like one but had to be respected nonetheless. But Dumbledore was asking Harry to meet him, meaning that he actually had been given the option to refuse.

It was solely because of that reason Harry decided to listen to Dumbledore's call.

* * *

AN: the Sorting Ceremony took place before McGonagall's speech. I simply skipped it as it was unimportant.

By the way, expect a very interesting Harry & Dumbledore scene and a big surprise about Draco in the next chapter. It'll be brilliant.


	22. Chapter 22 - Rash Actions

AN: This is the 3rd chapter of the week. Enjoy!

Those of my readers that are also fans of the anime Naruto, please vote on the poll on my profile. Thank you!

"Hello" – normal talk

 _'Hello'_ – thoughts

 _§Hello§ -_ Parseltongue

Many thanks to **Dased22** for proofreading this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 22 - Rash Actions**

When Harry entered the office of the professor of Transfiguration he was a little irritated by the discrepancy in the treatment of the professor versus the headmaster. Dumbledore's former office was vastly different from the one he was occupying now. Whereas his office when he was the headmaster was spacious and luxurious, the current one was just a small round room with a desk and a fireplace. There were a few bookshelves on the wall to the left, but aside from that, the room was mostly bare.

What attracted Harry's attention the very moment he stepped through the door though, was the large stone bowl atop of the desk in which a silvery liquid was shimmering.

"First of all, I would like to thank you for not ignoring my note and coming here this evening." Dumbledore began while Harry invited himself in the room.

"You're most likely wondering what kind of twisted scheme I am trying to pull off now, but I decided to stop treating you as a child... Today I will be very frank with you Harry, with the hope of repairing our relationship."

"What relationship is there to repair, professor?" Harry asked politely, not giving away any of his emotions, appearing completely indifferent.

"We could always forge a new one as long as both of us are willing."

Harry did not reply to that and Dumbledore continued:

"Tonight I'm going to show you some of my memories, things which I have never showed to anyone else until now. I want you to understand the real meaning behind my previous actions and my true intentions, but that only if you're willing to listen to this old man."

Dumbledore stopped talking and looked deeply at the boy in front of him, waiting for his answer.

 _"Accept it Harry. Don't throw away the chance to mend the situation between you and the old wizard, because if things go right you might even gain a powerful ally tonight."_ Athena's voice sounded within Harry's mind.

' _Ally? Am going to war or something?'_ Harry asked her confused.

 _"You're still young; you don't know what life will bring your way one day. And being a lone wolf might not always cut it. There will surely be moments in your life when you'll need a strong shoulder to support you. Think about what having an ally means; you don't have to necessarily like him as long as you work together towards the same goal."_

Harry truly hated Dumbledore and saw him like nothing but a despicable old man. Because of that he was finding it very hard to follow Athena's advice.

 _"Trust me on this, Harry. Have I ever wished you harm? Have I ever given you a reason to not trust me? That moment when you faced the troll at the risk of your own life, you entrusted your life to me...did I not tell that I will always be by your side until the end of time? Did I not tell you that I will be your guiding light? You just have to put your faith into me. I am not a flimsy mortal, my character will not ever change. You are precious in my eyes and because of that I will never let anyone ever harm you. And Athena Parthenos never goes back on her words."_

A shiver went down Harry's back and a flame was ignited in his chest at Athena's words. It was true, when has Athena ever let him down? She was the one that gave him strength to face off against Dumbledore when they first met and afterwards she protected him from Dumbledore mental attacks as well.

Athena was the one that saved him from his despair after accidentally throwing the 7th year Slytherin Marcus Flint to his death, she was the first person Harry remembers to have ever hugged him and Athena was the first one that showed him what a mother's love looks like. Unconsciously, Athena was the very reason why he couldn't bring himself to call Galatea mother, because deep in his heart he already looked up at the goddess like at a mother.

Ultimately, Athena had also given him courage and strength to kill the troll and save Dan's life, this act also completely freeing him of his guilt regarding Flint's death. And because of this action Harry has also gotten the chance to know the Argyris family, this way getting a real family. Him, an orphan that had grown up amongst homeless people and delinquents on London's streets.

However, during the last few months Harry had almost forgotten just how much he owed to Athena and just how big his gratitude and faith in her should have been. Getting distracted by the new way of life and by his new surrogate family Harry had almost forgotten who had been the one that had actually always been protecting him from the very day they had met.

In the meantime Dumbledore watched with a certain feeling of trepidation at how Harry's expression went through a series of changes which mirrored his feelings - Dumbledore was very adept at reading people's emotions based on their body language. You wouldn't be able to dominate the national wizarding politics and the International Confederation of Wizard either without knowing at least this much.

But the feeling Dumbledore was getting at that moment was that Harry was actually conversing with someone else in his mind, there was no other explanation for Harry's rapid change of emotions.

"I'm willing, professor. I'm willing to listen to what you have to say." Harry said eventually, making Dumbledore let a genuine and relieved smile.

"Then, let us wonder through the memories of the past!"

"This is a Pensieve, Harry. It's a very rare and precious magical artefact that allows you to put you memories into it and then watch them as if it were a movie, only much better. This way you will find it easier to discern many details you may have originally missed and examine many things you wouldn't normally have the chance to do it."

 _Scene break_ (excerpt from the books. I don't own anything)

 _"He was a funny baby too. He hardly ever cried, you know. And then, when he got a little older, he was... odd."_

 _"Odd in what way?" asked Dumbledore gently._

 _"Well, he -"_

 _But Mrs. Cole pulled up short, and there was nothing blurry or vague about the inquisitorial glance she shot Dumbledore over her gin glass._

 _"He's definitely got a place at your school, you say?"_

 _"Definitely," said Dumbledore._

 _"And nothing I say can change that?"_

 _"Nothing," said Dumbledore._

 _"You'll be taking him away, whatever?"_

 _"Whatever," repeated Dumbledore gravely._

 _She squinted at him as though deciding whether or not to trust him. Apparently she decided she could, because she said in a sudden rush, "He scares the other children."_

 _[...]_

 _"Billy Stubbs's rabbit... well, Tom said he didn't do it and I don't see how he could have done, but even so, it didn't hang itself from the rafters, did it?"_

 _"I shouldn't think so, no," said Dumbledore quietly._

 _"But I'm jiggered if I know how he got up there to do it. All I know is he and Billy had argued the day before. And then-"Mrs. Cole took another swig of gin, slopping a little over her chin this time, "on the summer outing-we take them out, you know, once a year, to the countryside or to the seaside-well, Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop were never quite right afterwards, and all we ever got out of them was that they'd gone into a cave with Tom Riddle. He swore they'd just gone exploring, but something happened in there, I'm sure of it. And, well, there have been a lot of things, funny things..."_

 _[...]_

 _"I am Professor Dumbledore."_

 _"'Professor'?" repeated Riddle. He looked wary. "Is that like 'doctor'? What are you here for? Did she get you in to have a look at me?"_

 _He was pointing at the door through which Mrs. Cole had just left._

 _"No, no," said Dumbledore, smiling._

 _"I don't believe you," said Riddle. "She wants me looked at, doesn't she? Tell the truth!"_

 _He spoke the last three words with a ringing force that was almost shocking. It was a command, and it sounded as though he had given it many times before. His eyes had widened and he was glaring at Dumbledore, who made no response except to continue smiling pleasantly. After a few seconds Riddle stopped glaring, though he looked, if anything, warier still._

 _"Who are you?"_

 _"I have told you. My name is Professor Dumbledore and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to offer you a place at my school-your new school, if you would like to come."_

 _Riddle's reaction to this was most surprising. He leapt from the bed and backed away from Dumbledore, looking furious._

 _"You can't kid me! The asylum, that's where you're from, isn't it? 'Professor,' yes, of course-well, I'm not going, see? That old cat's the one who should be in the asylum. I never did anything to little Amy Benson or Dennis Bishop, and you can ask them, they'll tell you!_

 _"I am not from the asylum," said Dumbledore patiently. "I am a teacher and, if you will sit down calmly, I shall tell you about Hogwarts. Of course, if you would rather not come to the school, nobody will force you -"_

 _"I'd like to see them try," sneered Riddle._

 _"Hogwarts," Dumbledore went on, as though he had not heard Riddle's last words, "is a school for people with special abilities -"_

 _"I'm not mad!"_

 _"I know that you are not mad. Hogwarts is not a school for mad people. It is a school of magic."_

 _[...]_

 _"What is it that you can do?"_

 _"All sorts," breathed Riddle. A flush of excitement was rising up his neck into his hollow cheeks; he looked fevered. "I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to."_

 _[...]_

 _"I knew I was different," he whispered to his own quivering fingers. "I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something."_

 _[...]_

 _Scene break_

Following that, Harry and Dumbledore watched more memories with the same boy, each one depicting him older and showing his personality becoming more twisted. From stealing small toys Tom Riddle got to the point where he stole one of the most treasured artefacts, the famed cup of Helga Hufflepuff after killing its previous owner in cold blood.

The last memory was the most shocking one. It vividly showed Tom Riddle's and his follower's assault on a certain cottage in Hogsmeade from a little more than 12 years before. It was the memory of a House Elf in which Elphinstone Urquart, Minerva McGonagall's husband was tortured for information and then murdered personally by Voldemort. Elphinstone Urquart was a key figure of DMLE, his death at that time had been a great blow to the Ministry. (1)

There were a few minutes of silence between Dumbledore and Harry after they finished watching the memories, the old wizard realizing how shaken Harry had been by the revelations.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle. A brilliant boy ever since he was little. Cunning, intelligent and with an exceptional talent in magic. He had always thought of himself as special, he had always wanted to be different from the masses."

"Does this ring a bell to you?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's true that you are a different person and you may not follow into his steps. But tell me now, Harry, what would you have done if you had been me? If you had lready been through two wizarding wars of which one had actually shaken the magical community in the entire Europe, what would you have NOT done in order to prevent a 3rd war from happening?"

Harry Potter was silent.

"Do you know who Hitler had been?" Dumbledore asked after a few moments.

"Yes." Harry replied. "He was the one who triggered the Second World War and killed millions of Jews."

"Well, yes, that among other atrocities."

"I'm sure that by now you realized the striking similarities between Tom Riddle and yourself, Harry...Now tell me, what would you do if you were to see the 11 years old Adolf Hitler in front of your eyes? What would you do knowing that killing him right now would prevent millions of people from being slaughtered?" Dumbledore asked in a heavy voice.

But Harry abruptly snapped. A formless wave of energy burst from his chest and propelled Dumbledore into the wall smashing his back violently. Harry's sudden and violent action had been totally unexpected, Dumbledore too the full blow of the spell.

"YOU BROUGHT ME HERE TO KILL ME TONIGHT, FUCKER?" Harry screamed in rage and from his Gorgoneion a brilliant red dome of light burst, encapsulating him.

Harry's emerald green eyes started to glow and turned silvery grey. His palm extended forward and he spoke in a voice that wasn't his and in a language that petrified Dumbledore in shock while he was trying to get up from the hard floor.

 _§SERPENSORTIA!§_ Harry roared, but his voice sounded in fact like a deafening angry hiss.

Bucket large thickness, completely back, with three instead of two red gleaming eyes and over forty feet in length!

The monstrous serpent hissed dangerously and the green venom that trailed from its large dagger-like fangs when it fell on the stone floor created sizzling sounds as it corroded it.

Harry's complexion was pale white from exhaustion and the silver glow in his eyes dimmed. But he bit his lower lip to distract himself from his nausea and glared at Dumbledore with hate.

 _§Kill him!§_

* * *

AN:

(1) Elphinstone Urquart truly was McGonagall's husband and a senior Auror in DMLE in the canon. What I changed in this fic was his death; he had originally died after getting poisoned by a deadly magical creature.


	23. Chapter 23 - (Spoiler)

AN: This is the 1st chapter of the week. Enjoy!

Those of my readers that are also fans of the anime Naruto, please vote on the poll on my profile. Thank you!

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

 _§Hello§_ \- Parseltongue

Many thanks to **Dased22** for proofreading this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 23 - (See the end of the chapter if you want to get spoiled)**

The monstrous, three-eyed serpent sprang from its place at Harry's order and stalked towards the old wizard who was trying to pick himself up from the floor. The serpent's open mouth was so wide that it could easily swallow a grown man whole and the venom that trailed from its dagger-like fangs could melt even stones.

Just at the last moment Dumbledore let out a shout and a bright blue shield of light coalesced in front of him. The three-eyed serpent's rush was so powerful that at the contact with the shield of light sounds like glasses being broken was heard and Dumbledore's protective shield collapsed. But the snake wasn't left undamaged either, there was a small trail of blood flowing from the tip of its head.

"Stop this Harry, you did not hear me out until the end!" Dumbledore shouted anxiously.

He conjured a whip of flames and hurled it at the gigantic snake but with a powerful whip of its own tail, the snake scattered Dumbledore's spell into the air.

 _'How in the Merlin's name did he manage to conjure such a monstrosity?! This snake is the size of a young Basilisk!'_

 _'And he's a Parselmouth?!'_

Dumbledore generally had a very steady and calm personality and he rarely lost his cool, especially during a battle. But tonight proved to be an exception as he was starting to become afraid and threads of panic began to cloud his mind.

Harry's display of both wandless and a non-verbal Banishing Charm was so unexpected that Dumbledore took the full brunt of the spell. He had been smashed heavily into the wall behind him and his spine hurt so bad that it was painful even to breathe. On top of that, before he could even regain his bearings the large serpent was already pouncing on him with its deadly fangs posed at him.

In normal conditions Dumbledore could kill the snake with a bit of effort. But he was now grievously wounded and the room of the office was simply too small - the snake's long coiling body occupied half of it. There wasn't any space for Dumbledore to dodge the attack coming at him.

"Listen to me Harry! It was not my intention tonight to harm you in any way! Calm down and listen to me, two minutes is all I ask of you!" Dumbledore shouted again, pleading.

"Would I not be a total idiot to do just that? Wait for a few minutes for the Aurors to come and save your skin? You take me for a fool or what?" Harry said and his voice sent chills down Dumbledore's back. Right at that momenr Harry's voice changed and it was as if it wasn't solely Harry's voice that was speaking but as if there were two voices speaking at the same time. It was as if Harry was being possessed...

A flash of fire burst into the room and a swan-sized fiery red bird appeared flying in mid-air between Dumbledore and the gigantic black serpent.

 _§Be aware of the bird.§_ Harry's eerie hissing was heard as he warned his summoned serpent. _§Protect your eyes and if you can't shake it off, head straight towards the old man's neck. Do you understand?§_

 _§Yes Mistress.§_ (1)

The phoenix let out a sad trill as he perched itself on a clearly in pain Dumbledore's shoulder. Crystal clear tears began to pour from the magical bird's eyes into Dumbledore's hand and he was preparing to ingest them.

Just then, Harry clenched botch of his hands into fists and abruptly distanced them one from another. The phoenix was all of a sudden grabbed by a wing by an invisible hand and smashed into the left wall of the room and Dumbledore's hand that hold the healing tears of the bird was twisted.

*Crack*

A loud yell of pain was heard from Dumbledore as his wrist was snapped and the tears of his familiar fell to the ground. He never had a chance to even get angry over the loss of the tears because an enormous shadow suddenly appeared above him.

All the resistance became futile from the moment the large snake coiled around his torso. Any lesser man would've probably died of a heart attack having a serpent with a body thicker than his own ensnaring him.

The three-eyed serpent's forked and slimy tongue nearly touched Dumbledore's year and the old wizards failed to suppress a shudders of fear.

Fawkes started to trill in that moment, trying to sway his master's attacker's heart but he was met by a pair of silvery grey eyes that seeped cold even into his pure and fiery hot heart. The phoenix unconsciously stopped and laid on the floor trembling after the contact with the cold grey eyes of the boy.

"Why should I spare you, Dumbledore? You'll always be a thorn in my side, always trying to impede me for the rest of my life. Give me a reason why I should not kill you now, in this very moment."

"And remember, right now your life is at a snap of my fingers. Think well before you speak because those might be your last words in this life, and I can assure you, the afterlife won't be an easy place for the likes of you. Hades will make sure of that." the eerie double voice coming from Harry sounded again and Dumbledore's body trembled. He was filled with inexplicable terror at the voice, at the things it said. That was the most dangerous moment he has ever experienced in his entire life, it was the first time he had felt so helpless.

"It had not been my intention to harm the boy this evening. I had wanted to tell him the truth behind my actions, to let him know about my beliefs. To prove that I'm not lying to you, I'm willing to make an Unbreakable Vow!"

A flash of surprise flickered in the grey eyes of the boy at Dumbledore's words.

"But I can't help but wonder...You're not Harry Potter so who exactly are you?"

But contrary to what the old man was expecting, the visage of the boy remained unchanged, completely unfazed. There was no hint of surprise, as if he had been expecting the question.

"As expected from someone like Albus Dumbledore. However you're not in a position to ask questions." the eerie double voice coming from Harry Potter said. "It does not matter who I am. But this child means the world for me."

 _Scene break - Sirius' POV_

Professor of Defence against the Dark Arts!

Sirius Black! Me! Bwahaha. If my "dear" mother heard about this she would probably roll in her grave. The Head of the House of Black teaching "mudbloods" to defend themselves against Dark Magic! Huehuehue

I was just familiarizing myself with my new office when the mirror James and I had used during detentions at Hogwarts when we were young suddenly started to vibrate.

Haha, I had just given Harry the mirror; I bet that he was not ever going to use it but my sudden appearance as his professor of DADA must've shocked him. I can't wait to show off a bit in front of him, to show him just how cool and brilliant his god father is!

*Ahem*

Let's see though what he actually wants: "Activate!"

 _"Sirius, are you willing to be the Witness of an Unbreakable Vow?"_

My world suddenly went still. Unbreakable Vow? Merlin's balls! What shit did he get himself into this time? And from the first day of the year?

"What are-?"

I tried to ask for details but Harry cut off me off instantly.

 _"Are you willing or not?"_

Only now I am noticing...what's with the voice?! Something is clearly wrong. I need to get to him immediately!

"I am. Where are you?"

 _"Come to Dumbledore's office on the first floor. Do not run on the corridors. It is imperative to act as if nothing happened. If someone asks you anything act normally."_

The hair all over my body stood up at the eerie voice I was hearing and when the transmission ended I felt like a claw gripped at my heart.

What did you get yourself into this time, Harry? - I asked myself as I hurriedly exited through the door of my office.

 _Scene break - back to normal POV_

Fortunately Sirius didn't meet any of the patrolling Aurors along the way. Having been one of the 4 infamous Marauders certainly had its perks - he knew every shortcut and secret passage in the castle. When he opened the door and entered the office of the Transfiguration Professor, Sirius was stunned speechless at the sight in front of him.

A gigantic black snake with the thickness of a bucket and tens of feet in length was tightly coiled around Dumbledore who had a poorly masked terrified expression on his face.

 _'A Basilisk?!'_ Sirius wanted to shout out but he couldn't find his words. He closed his eyes hurriedly and took out his wand.

"It's not a Basilisk." said Harry in the same eerie voice, understanding Sirius' thoughts based on his reaction. "But that doesn't mean it's any less dangerous."

Sirius opened his eyes and looked at the owner of the eerie voice while clenching his wand tightly in his hand. There, to the right side, was Harry...with glowing silvery grey eyes and with a red dome of light surrounding him like a protective shell. He had his back turned at Sirius and he was writing flaming words in the air with his index finger.

"What is the meaning of this, Harry?!" Sirius thundered finally snapping from his temporary shock.

"Dumbledore here wanted to kill me...and now he's willing to make an Unbreakable Vow to assure me that that wasn't the case." said Harry impassively and Sirius looked questionably at Dumbledore's pale face.

"Are you willing to be the Witness? Mind you...if you refuse, Dumbledore dies tonight." the voice coming from Harry said icily and Sirius swallowed the words he was about to say.

"Decide now." Harry's double voice sounded again with an indifferent air while the three eyed black serpent opened its jaws widely ready to pierce Dumbledore's frail-looking neck.

"Sirius, please, listen to him!" Dumbledore pleaded and Sirius finally stopped hesitating.

Harry came in front of Dumbledore and extended his right hand, the red dome of light surrounding him opening up just enough for his right hand to come out.

"Read the three sentences I've written in the air." Harry told Sirius while he and Dumbledore clasped each other's right wrist.

Sirius swallowed hard. It was the first time he was witnessing an Unbreakable Vow, let alone being the Witness.

"Will you Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore not harm Harry James Potter in any way no matter the circumstances?"

Dumbledore's face twisted into a grim expression and he said through gritted teeth:

"I will."

A fiery red thread of fire issued from Sirius' wand and slithered not unlike a snake around Harry and Dumbledore's clasped wrists.

"Will you share to the best of your capability your entire knowledge about magic with Harry Potter?"

At this question Dumbledore actually hesitated for a split of a second. But when he felt the black serpent tightening its constriction he said:

"I will."

Another thread of fire came out of Sirius' wand and interwove itself with the first one, like a chain.

"And will you, should the need arise, ensure Harry Potter's well-being even at the price of your life?"

"I will."

* * *

AN: **The title of the chapter is 《Unbreakable Vow.》. I didn't write up there for you to not get spoiled.**

Not sure when will the next chapter come. But there will certainly be at least one chapter every week, of that you can be sure.

(1) It's not a mistake, it's really "Mistress". Keep reading the chapter to understand what this is about if you're not already suspecting it.


	24. Chapter 24 - The Heir of Slytherin

AN: This is the 2nd chapter of the week. Enjoy!

Those of my readers that are also fans of the anime Naruto, please vote on the poll on my profile. Thank you!

(Btw, I'd appreciate it you added this fic to the various communities you're following.

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

 _§Hello§_ \- Parseltongue

Many thanks to **Dased22** for proofreading this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 24 - The Heir of Slytherin**

 _'What have I done? How could I possibly agree with something like this?'_ Dumbledore raged in his mind. He was sitting at the edge of his bed with his face buried in his hands.

Half an hour passed since Harry left Dumbledore's office and only now was the old wizard feeling the despair at what he had done. It had been totally unlike him to feel that terrified of death... Dumbledore had long since "made friends" with death. After going through two magical wars and facing death so many times, he had made peace with the fact that he would one day die and that it could happen at any moment. Dumbledore had been ready for decades to leave this world behind and start his next great adventure. It wasn't that he wanted to die - deep down his survival instincts always urged him to live on - but he certainly did not fear death.

If that's the case then why had he been so terrified back then? Why had he even made an Unbreakable Vow just to save his skin?

 _'It was that...that_ being _that was possessing the boy.'_ Dumbledore answered to his own questions and involuntarily shuddered at the reminder of those cold silvery grey eyes that glowed with power. The suffocating pressure it exuded and overwhelming presence it had...that being had certainly not been a human, of that Dumbledore was certain.

Because of these thoughts, Dumbledore came to the point where he started contemplating suicide. For the rest of his entire life, because of the vow, Dumbledore would have to protect not only Harry's life, but even his well-being. And to add insult to injury, he had to share his entire knowledge about magic with the boy.

One must know that to effectively counter Dark Magic, one had to be an expert in Dark Magic first. Of course, that wasn't the case for most people as there were certain spells designed to do just that. But after reaching a certain level, spells like the Shielding Charm and the Stunning Charm would become almost useless. The reason for that was that the Dark Art was like a continuously evolving Hydra. You'd cut one head only to find two others grow in its place. So in order to devise new spells to counter the ever changing and evolving Dark Curses, one had to know those Dark Spells first.

Bottom line, Dumbledore was an expert in Dark Magic. The Leader of the Light was an expert of the Dark Arts. But this was completely necessary. To know one's enemy was the first step towards emerging victorious in a duel. Dumbledore had been forced to learn the Dark Arts in order to be able to defeat the likes of Grindelwald and fight on equal grounds with someone like Voldemort. And now, because of the Vow, he will have to teach Harry everything. He would basically be grooming a Dark Lord, he will become the teacher of the one who would most likely come to be known as the most powerful Dark Lord in history.

 _'If that's the case, I'd rather kill myself. At least this way the boy will not get a hold of the knowledge I possess.'_ Dumbledore thought grimly and his fingers clasped tightly around his wand.

 _Scene break_

Harry didn't know how he reached the Slytherin common room after he exited Dumbledore's office. Everything was a blur in front of his eyes and he felt like wanting to throw up.

When he entered the elegant Slytherin common room, each member of the House was there for The Meeting. "The Meeting" was in fact a small conference which took place at the start of every year and then every month during the school year. It was specific to the Slytherin House and through these conferences various problems were settled.

For example, now that it was the start of a new year the freshmen were told the two main rules of the Slytherin House: "Do not get caught breaking the rules" and "Do not fight each other outside the common room".

Harry has been excluded from the first Meeting when he just came at Hogwarts last year. The ones who were supposed to inform Harry of it had conveniently "forgotten" to do it so Harry has not even been aware of it until the next Meeting took place; but he purposely chose not to come to that specific one, out of spite. If his housemates marginalized him like that, he was not afraid of showing them the figurative middle finger. And the best part was that after beating Draco, Crabbe and Goyle to a pulp no one had the balls to act against him. Harry had become an existence outside the Slytherin House's rules.

During these Meetings there also were other problems solved: conflicts between housemates, choosing the Quidditch team captain and lastly, the leaders of their "Assembly" which was done by making everyone vote - only the 2nd years and above had the right to do that seeing as the 1st years didn't know the candidates. All in all, the Slytherin House was extremely similar to an underworld organization whose members had a very well established hierarchy.

Harry stepped through the stone wall and entered the common room. Completely ignoring everyone there, he proceeded to walk towards his room, not even bothering to at least spare them a glance.

"Potter! Stop right there!" Harry heard a sophisticated and arrogant voice ordering him.

A projection of Lilith's grandmother, Helen, told Harry in that moment in his mind to act civil and to not bring shame on the Argyr-

"What he hell you want from me?" Harry said completely ignoring the imaginary Helen's words. He'd nearly killed someone that night, then he was possessed and then he conjured a Basilisk-sized magical serpent out of thin air. He was exhausted, he felt ill and he was still angry. Right then he could simply not bring himself to care about being polite and acting civil.

The one who called out to him was a seventh year boy with short trimmed brown hair and green eyes. He had a pale complexion and his facial features gave off the impression of a cunning individual. The new leader of the Meeting has not been chosen yet but given his scheming and his connections, he considered himself a shoe-in for the position. And what better way to cement his standing in front of others than through making the pariah of their House submit to him? Moreover, the freshmen will also learn to fear and respect their seniors.

"First of all, a filthy half-blood like you has no right to talk like that in front of someone like me. I'm Corban, the heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Yaxley-"

"Oh you have the same name as that old fart Yaxley that got kissed by Dementors eleven years ago." Harry said mockingly and snickered despite how ill he felt.

Corban Yaxley had been the head of DMLE during the Blood War caused by Voldemort more than a decade before. And Harry knew thanks to the books he read during his stay at the Leaky Cauldron ( _Nature's Nobility - A Wizarding Genealogy_ ) that Corban Yaxley was dead and that he had only a son. And from the book _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_ Harry remembered reading about the largest mass-execution through Dementors' Kiss in the last 3 centuries - the execution of most of the captured Death Eaters at the end of the Blood War. Amongst the executed Death Eaters there had also been one called Corban Yaxley.

Very few people would remember such minor pieces of information and make the connection between them in the blink of an eye. But thanks to the Gorgoneion around his neck, Harry had a nearly eidetic memory and an extremely fast thought process.

When Yaxley heard Harry speaking so mockingly about his father's death, his pale complexion flushed red because of anger and he screamed:

"Don't you dare talk that about my father!"

The 7th year boy stabbed with his wand and a yellow jet of light shot from it, passing at just an inch from Harry's face. When it hit the wall behind Harry the spell actually melted a basketball-sized chunk of it.

"Next time that wall will be you!" Yaxley said.

Most of the students in the crowded common room had a look of fear and awe on their faces as they all started to talk amongst themselves about Yaxley's display of magic.

"As expected from the heir of Yaxley family, one of the sacred twenty eight Houses!"

"That was bloody brilliant!"

"Wait, using such a Dark Curse...won't Dumbledore find out?"

"How is he going to find out if none of us says a thing?

"Anyway, that half-blood never stood a chance!"

"Haha!"

But the ones laughing suddenly choked with their laughter when the Corban Yaxley was violently pulled from his place by an invisible hand and thrown on his face at Harry's feet.

 _*Crack*_

A loud crunching noise was heard and blood curdling scream followed after that: Harry just stomped on the older boy's hand, smashing four of his fingers.

A silence so heavy was instilled in the room that you could hear even if a needle dropping.

"Next time that wall will be you... you've just threatened me to kill me?" Harry asked in a cold voice, and the spectators gulped despite hid childish voice.

"Bad move." Harry said before delivering a heavy kick to Corban's side, breaking a few of his ribs.

The 7th year was now sobbing and screaming in pain, but Harry didn't stop. Instead a maniacal expression appeared on his face. He gripped the older boy from his collar and with a strength uncharacteristic to someone with such a frail build, he brought him to his knees.

"How does it feel, huh?" Harry laughed darkly and a hard punch of his crashed into the older boy's jaw.

"How does the heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Yaxley feel while being beaten to pulp like a Muggle?" Harry asked again cackling while continuing to rain punches into Corban's face.

Harry threw the boy to the floor as if he was disgusted by a dirty rag and turned his attention towards the petrified students.

"Is there anyone else that has a problem with me?" Harry asked provocatively while wiping the blood that had been spit from Yaxley's mouth on the lens of his glasses.

In that moment, as if they just woke up from a lethargy, ten 6th and 7th year students took out their wands and pointed them at him. Following their example the rest of the students also raised their wands at Harry, even the 1st years.

Two of the gathered students however stepped out of their ranks and quickly went to Harry's side. They were Dan and Gwen. Their faces were filled with nervousness as they were clearly aware that they stood no chance against a few tens of other students, but they could simply not let Harry be alone. He was their friend, they wouldn't abandon him now. Especially not after he had risked his own life to save Dan from death.

However, Harry almost ignored the two 4th year students that came to his side. His breathing was laborious and he was barely standing on his feet because of the magical exhaustion resulted from his confrontation with Dumbledore.

 _'Help.'_

Harry pleaded in his mind to Athena. She had saved him more than once from the tight spots he had been until then, the last time being exactly in that evening. He had faith in her that she was perfectly capable of saving his skin once again.

 _"Only this once, child."_ Athena said coldly and from her tone Harry understood that the goddess was angry at him. A peculiar feeling of hurt appeared in his heart at that thought, but that was the last thing he felt seeing as he fell into unconsciousness.

The present students though had not been aware of what actually occurred. They only saw Harry's green eyes turning into glowing silvery grey...and they felt numbed to their core when their heard the twelve year old boy hissing:

 _§Serpensortia!§_

Just like less than an hour before, a gigantic black serpent with the thickness of a bucket and over 40 feet in length suddenly started to appear from Harry's hand. The furniture trembled when the three-eyed serpent's heavy body landed on the floor and the Slytherin students were frozen in place at the sight in front of them.

 _§Raise your head and start circling around them slowly, while hissing in a menacing way. Frighten them.§_ Athena ordered the serpent while glaring at the mortified faces of the students. Dan and Gwen were no better either and they both distanced themselves from Harry in terror when they heard him speaking in Parseltongue.

"I never looked for trouble with anyone!" came the eerie double voice from Harry, just like the last time when Athena possessed his body.

"It is you who had provoked me repeatedly last year and even today, in the first day of the year...it is you who had pushed me this far...now tell me who wants to die first?" Athena asked with fake mirth in her voice, acting in the same arrogant and ruthless way Harry did before falling unconscious and letting her take over. She didn't want others to realize the changes between her and Harry's demeanour.

At the malicious words of the possessed Harry Potter, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle suddenly threw their wands in front of them and knelt on the hard floor with their eyes facing the ground in submission. They knew very well how terrible Harry could be and the gigantic monstrosity of a snake that was circling them did nothing to lessen their feelings of terror.

When Athena's (Harry's) glowing grey eyes looked into the rest of the students' eyes a sudden feeling of terror filled their hearts. What she did was the same thing she had done to Dumbledore to make him so frightened for his life, bringing him to the point where he had even made an Unbreakable Vow to convince her to spare him. She planted terror in their hearts and an arduous desire to survive, a desperate fear of death. Athena was a goddess; and even if she considered herself to be nothing more than a shell of her former all-powerful self, it was still in her capability to manipulate some mortals' emotions.

The over forty students suddenly all threw their wands and knelt on the floor begging for mercy. And Athena didn't forget to play her part.

"You were confident and ganged up, ready to pounce on me...yet now you're grovelling at my feet like snivelling cowards." came the double voice from Harry.

"I won't kill you tonight." Athena said as if that was an afterthought.

"But don't you dare to get in my way ever again if you want to keep on living."

In a flash of a brilliant light the humongous serpent disappeared and Athena controlled Harry s body, slowly walking towards his room.

There were only 6 boys amongst the 2nd year Slytherins and since the Slytherin Dorms had just rooms for two persons, Harry got to live with only one roommate, a boy called Blaise Zabinni, just like the last year. But given the present situation there was no way Blaise would dare to enter the same room as Harry in that evening.

After Athena made Harry enter his room, she placed a powerful locking charm on the door and then she also fell into a deep slumber, Harry's body collapsing on the bed like a puppet whose strings had just been cut.

Unlike Harry who was out like a wooden log, the rest of the House has had a sleepless night. In fact most of them refused to even leave the common room, feeling safer to stay huddled together, not unlike the chickens did in the absence of the mother-hen.

One thing though, was on everyone's mind:

 _'The Heir of Slytherin has appeared_!'

* * *

AN: You've got to see again the ruthless side of Harry and Athena's care for him. Yes, Athena is angry at Harry for his unwise behaviour both towards Dumbledore (he jumped to conclusions, not hearing him till the end) and towards his housemates (when he provoked a few tens of students while he was exhausted, on the verge of collapsing). Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom. She does not condone such mindless actions.


	25. Chapter 25 - The Malfoys

AN: This is the 3rd chapter of the week. Enjoy!

Those of my readers that are also fans of the anime Naruto, please vote on the poll on my profile. Thank you!

(Btw, I'd appreciate it you added this fic to the various communities you're following.)

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

 _§Hello§ -_ Parseltongue

Many thanks to **Dased22** for proofreading this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 25 - The Malfoys**

 _December 1991_

 _Draco: "Dear Tom, it's been more than a month since Hogwarts has been closed. I'm bored. How are you?"_

 _Tom: "Hmm. What do you mean Hogwarts was closed?"_

 _Draco: "Well, a Cerberus..."_

 _[...]_

 _January 1992_

 _Draco: "Dear Tom, what should I do? My father suspects that the Dark Lord will soon resurrect."_

 _Tom: "Hoo~ a Dark Lord? Tell me, what do you know about him."_

 _Draco: "Well."_

 _[...]_

 _Tom: "You're telling me that the most powerful Dark Lord since Herpo the Foul was defeated by a toddler?!"_

 _Draco: "Yes, I'm not lying, you know I'd never do that to you Tom. The Dark Lord tried to kill Neville Longbottom but the Killing Curse killed the Dark Lord instead."_

 _Tom: "Interesting..."_

 _[...]_

 _Tom: "What can you tell me about the so-called Boy Who Lived?"_

 _Draco: "Hmpf, he's a useless fatass. He has no special talents and he's ordinary at best in all the subjects except for Herbology. But I doubt that'd be of any help against the Dark Lord. Ha-ha."_

 _Tom: "Hmm...So you're saying that he's nothing special? Then how could he destroy someone like Voldemort?"_

 _Draco: "I don't know. I was expecting at first for him to display his powerful magic or something, but he's an idiot. It took him three weeks to finally transfigure a match into a needle. I'm ashamed that he's a pureblood like me."_

 _[...]_

 _April 1992_

 _Draco: "BLOODY POTTER!"_

 _Tom: "What happened this time, Draco? And who is Potter?"_

 _Draco: "That murderer appeared in Daily Prophet and now everyone is singing his praise for saving that muggle-loving son of the Minister."_

 _Tom: "Murderer? How is he a murderer if he saved someone's life?"_

 _Draco: "That's only because people don't know what he did before. Remember that 7th year that was killed by a Cerberus? I'm sure it was actually Potter that had thrown him to the Cerberus."_

 _Tom: "How could a first year manhandle a seventh year?"_

 _Draco: "Potter is not ordinary. He doesn't even need a wand to use magic. He…"_

 _[...]_

 _Tom: "Interesting. So he had beaten you and your two followers half to death twice, he uses wandless magic, he killed a 7th year student and then also killed a mountain troll all by himself? ...Interesting. I'm terribly intrigued!"_

 _[...]_

 _July 1992_

 _Draco: "Tom, what should I do?"_

 _Tom: "What's wrong, Draco, why are you so distressed?"_

 _Draco: "My bastard of a father went missing."_

 _Tom: "How come?"_

 _Draco: "After the Dark Lord's defeat, most of his followers, the Death Eater had been captured and then Kissed by Dementors. To escape this fate, my father made a deal with the Minister of that time: he was given freedom in exchange for giving off all the information he knew about the Death Eaters. He had been one of the key figures so when he betrayed them, almost nobody escaped."_

 _Tom: "He really is a bastard..."_

 _Draco: "And now the Dark Lord has resurrected. Yesterday, the Dark Mark on my father's arm became whole and he ran away into hiding, the Dark Lord will surely take revenge! But now that my father disappeared, us, his family would become his targets!"_

 _Draco: "Tell me, Tom, what should I do? My mother spends her days crying and lives in fear. We're all miserable. Help me, Tom, tell me, what should I do?"_

 _[...]_

 _The first night at Hogwart s_

 _Draco: "Tom! I have great news!"_

 _Tom: "Oh? Tell me."_

 _Draco: "The Heir of Slytherin has appeared!"_

 _Tom: "WHAT?"_

 _[...]_

 _Scene break_

It was morning. But given that the Slytherin Dungeon was located under the Black Lake, there wasn't such a big difference in the lighting of the room. Still, the artificial lighting became brighter in the morning as to force the students to wake up.

Harry opened his eyes and tried to lift himself in a seating position, only to fall back on his stomach with a groan of pain. He was sore all over his body. He felt like he was being stabbed with a large number of needles whenever he tried to move any of his muscles.

The Gorgoneion on his chest suddenly heated up and a warm and comfortable feeling started being spread from it through all over his body. The warm waves of energy were nourishing his ruptured muscles and his exhausted internal organs and the sensation was so comfortable that Harry fell asleep in the meantime. However, he still heard Athena's grumpy words right before falling asleep:

 _"That was NOT done with love."_

The corners of his mouth lifted upwards and a feeling of relief surfaced into Harry's heart at the thought that Athena still cares about him even if she's mad at him. A peaceful expression appeared on Harry's face and he fell asleep with a small smile on his face.

 _Scene break_

A few hours passed since Harry fell asleep again. His soreness disappeared but his tiredness had not been washed away. He hadn't been that tired for years, ever since those hellish days when he had lived as a homeless during the few months after running away from the orphanage.

Harry sat up from his bed and forced himself to walk to the bathroom. He had already missed the breakfast in the Great Hall...and that was when the students were given their schedules.

"Damn it." Harry cussed as he walked with his hands supporting himself by the wall.

He wanted to take a shower, but he was simply too tired for that. In the end he only went to the sink and washed his face. But when he looked in the mirror. . .

"What the hell?" Harry screamed and fell back onto the cold floor, landing on his butt.

With a groan of pain and supporting himself from the sink, Harry managed to rise up to his feet. He looked again at this reflection in the mirror and he couldn't help marvelling at what he was seeing.

"Wait, I can see?!"

If there was one thing Harry hated the most at himself was that without his glasses he was almost as blind as a bat. However, now he was actually seeing! Without wearing his glasses!

But his attention returned to his reflection: there, instead of two brilliant emerald green eyes, a pair of different eyes was watching him. One of the eyes had kept its vivid green colour, but the other one was silvery-grey and it sparkled so much that it looked as if it was glowing.

Athena possessing Harry's body two times in the span of a day had not been without repercussions. Harry was dead tired even after sleeping an entire night. Moreover, the iris of one of his eyes had changed its colour. It was now the same bright silver like the goddess Athena's eyes.

"Athena!" Harry called.

He called for her for two more times but the Goddess didn't answer him. Harry sighed and while still wobbling, he went towards his trunk which was still full with his possessions. Harry had not had the chance to unpack his things yesterday.

Suddenly, the watch at his wrist vibrated, noticing Harry that it was 11 o'clock. Harry caressed the watch a little, smiling at the memories it brought. The watch was made of white gold and was charmed to be unbreakable and water proof. Besides that, it was built with the feature of leeching on a tiny portion of his magic so it had no need for a battery. It was a present Hector and Galatea made Harry for his 12th birthday.

But when he realized that it was already 11 o'clock, Harry groaned. The classes started normally at 9 am. First day of the year and he had already started skipping classes...

 _'For all it's worth, I should at least go to the new Head of House to take my schedule. Hopefully he's not as arrogant and indifferent as the slimy bat from last year._ ' Harry thought as he donned his uniform.

When he left his room and went into the common room, Harry was surprised to see that most of the housemates in his year (amongst others) were in the common room instead of being at their classes.

But when they saw Harry stepping into the room, the students all froze. It was as if it were a scene from a movie: they all become motionless when they saw him. A feeling of elation surfaced in Harry's heart when he saw their reactions. He understood that his display last night must have terrified them. He was relishing in the feeling of knowing that now everyone knew their place.

But Harry's feelings of elation were completely crushed when a wave of coldness pervaded from the Gorgoneion into his chest. He remembered then that it must have been in fact Athena's actions that put everyone into his place, not his actions and he stopped being so smug about it.

He was just about to leave the Common Room and head towards Horace Slughorn's office when he heard someone calling him.

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry turned his head towards the voice and he saw a few of his housemates lightly pushing forward a blonde girl that seemed to be of his age. Harry remembered that her name was Daphne Greengrass, she was the one from whom he had stolen the pair of stockings last year for his escapade with Flint.

Daphne flinched when she saw his heterochromatic eyes but still came forward.

"Y-You were absent at breakfast so I thought about also taking your schedule and give it you." the girl stammered. She was sill frightened by last evening's events.

"Thanks." Harry said curtly, but he still couldn't help showing off a little in front of his housemates and instead of using his hands to take the piece of paper with the schedule, he wandlessly levitated it to himself.

With that, Harry turned on his heels and went back into his room.

"No wonder they were all in the common room." Harry said as he looked at his class schedule. "On Tuesday we start at 11:30."

Monday

9:00-9:45 & 9:45-10:30 - Herbology (with Ravenclaw)

10:45-11:30 - Potions (with Gryffindor)

3:30-4:15 - Charms (with Hufflepuff)

Tuesday 

11:30-12:15 - Potions (with Gryffindor)

12:15-1:00 - DADA (with Gryffindor)

Wednesday 

9:00-9:45 & 9:45-10:30 - History of Magic (with Ravenclaw)

10:45-11:30 - Charms (with Gryffindor)

11:30-12:15 & 12:15-1:00 - Charms (with Hufflepuff)

Thursday 

10:45-11:30 - Herbology (with Ravenclaw)

11:30-12:15 - Transfiguration (with Hufflepuff)

3:30-4:15 - DADA (with Gryffindor)

7:45-8:30 - Astronomy (with Ravenclaw)

Friday 

9:00-9:45 & 9:45-10:30 - DADA (with Gryffindor)

10:45-11:30 - History of Magic (with Ravenclaw)

2:00-2:45 & 2:45-3:30 - Flying (with Gryffindor)

3:30-4:15 - Astronomy (with Ravenclaw)

 _Scene Break_

There was still half an hour until the Potions class started and since the Slytherin Dungeons were very close to the Potions classroom he didn't need to leave early in order to arrive there in time. So he thought that he had just enough time to unpack his things.

Harry didn't have too many personal things. His trunk was mostly filled with his clothes. The only things he had besides those were his Nimbus 2001 that the Argyris had gifted him, a book which explained Veela's nature that Helen had gifted him on his birthday, his wristwatch from Hector and Galatea and an Undying Orchid that he had gotten from Lilith. It was a one foot tall purple orchid that was charmed to never wither.

Harry had been tempted to simply throw it away after a week or so from his birthday but Athena had stopped him from doing so. The goddess had told Harry that receiving a purple orchid meant that the one that gave it to him looked up to him and had a great deal of respect and admiration for him. Therefore to throw that flower away was equivalent to trampling over Lilith's feelings and hurting her. And while Harry didn't care about other people, he actually cared a lot about the Argyris. By the time he received the charmed orchid from Lilith, Harry had been living with the Argyris for more than half a year. He had already started to consider them his surrogate family by then. That being said, Harry also cared about Lilith even if they always teased each other and competed in every lesson; so till this very day he had kept the Undying Orchid safely.

Unpacking his stuff has not taken Harry more than 15 minutes. Seeing that he has around 10 more minutes until the Potions class began, Harry took his cauldron and his Potions ingredients and headed towards the classroom.

 _Scene break_

The Potions class has been a very nice change compared to the one taught by Severus Snape. Assuming that after only a few months of schooling with an incompetent teacher the now 2nd years students didn't know too many things about Potions, Horace Slughorn made a review of their potioneering skills. He started by showing them the correct way to not only cut the ingredients but how to also verify whether said ingredients were still safe to use or not. Severus Snape may have been a brilliant Potion Master but he was very lacking as a teacher compared to Slughorn.

Another thing that improved was that the tense atmosphere between houses which had pervaded the classroom was gone. While Slughorn was the Head of Slytherin House, he was a fair and unbiased teacher. At the end of the class, Slughorn also said that after the results of the exams from the next week were given to the students, he would hand over invitations for the "Slug Club" which according to him was a club consisting of only brilliant members, those of the elite. It was a very good opportunity for the promising youths of Hogwarts to interact with each other and create connections.

Now that the Potions class had ended, Harry had to go the DADA class next. However, his tiredness from that morning had not faded away. Not at all; instead, it aggravated and even a feeling of nausea appeared. Because of that Harry decided to not attend the class and go to the Hospital Wing. It was not an unjustified absence but Harry wanted to at least let Sirius know the reason for his absence. Thus, after leaving his Potions equipment Harry headed straight toward the office of the DADA teacher.

When he arrived there though, he saw the door of the office being half-opened and a girl's voice could be heard conversing with his god father.

"You have to help her, Sirius, do it for mother at least; she is your cousin!" the voice of the girl pleaded.

"And why should I do that? Narcissa had made her choice when she went after that Malfoy ponce. You're a family of Death Eaters that still alive and well only because your father was too much of a coward to suffer the consequences of his deeds like a man." Sirius said in a cold, blunt voice.

"And about Narcissa being my cousin, what does that have to do with anything? She's the wife of a bloody Death Eater! Bellatrix was also my cousin, and I killed her with my own hands!" Sirius said ruthlessly.

He was becoming enraged just at the thought of helping a Death Eater's family.

"The Death Eaters murdered James and Lily who had been more of a family for me than my own blood relatives had ever been, and you want me now to help you, the offspring of a bloody Death Eater? To hell with that!" Sirius screamed.

In that moment Harry entered the office and he saw that the girl whose voice he had heard before was actually Antoinette, Draco Malfoy's very beautiful older sister.

However, she ignored Harry's arrival, her attention being focused solely on Sirius.

"Sirius, you have to listen to me...The Dark Lord has resurrected and he will surely want to take revenge on Lucius Malfoy for his betrayal. But now that that coward slithered away, the Dark Lord will release his wrath on what he can: Lucius' family, meaning mother, Draco and I."

"Lucius Malfoy? Heh. Is that what you call your father?" Sirius asked mockingly.

"That bastard does not deserve to call him 'father'." Antoine spat. "...and we're not as you say, Sirius. We're not _'Death Eaters in training'._ At least mother and I are not. You don't know it but I stopped living at my family's manor 5 years ago. I have spent all the summers ever since at Nym's home, at Aunty Dromeda."

Curiosity replaced Sirius anger and he asked: "With Nymphadora, why?"

"Lucius Malfoy had wanted me to marry that dunce of the Flint family. I ran away from home and mother asked aunt Andromeda to let me live at her. From what I was told, you had already been excommunicated from the family by the time when mother married Lucius Malfoy, and what you don't know is that mother had been forced by the Blacks, her family, to marry a Malfoy. It was an arranged marriage."

"Why hadn't she run away? Why hadn't she come to me back then? I would've helped her, I would have-" Sirius tried to say before being cut by Antoinette.

"You would have done what, Sirius? You were living like a scrub on James' Potter money. You didn't have a penny, you didn't even have your own place. How would you have helped her, especially since she was a Black, the sister of the infamous Bellatrix? Who would have not been wary of mother and who would have lent a helping hand? You know the answer. Nobody! Just look at you now, even after all this time, you still don't trust her." said Antoinette and a few tears started to fall from her beautiful blue eyes.

Sirius' anger was completely mollified because of Antoinette's words and after seeing her tears, he was thinking of giving in and help her. But Harry had realized his god father's state of mind so he cut into their conversation, saying in a despising undertone:

"Oi, oi, Sirius. Are you for real? Don't tell me you're actually falling for that sob story."

At Sirius' inquisitive look and Antoinette's angry one, Harry continued:

"What are the benefits you'll get for offering your protection or whatever?"

"Benefits?" Sirius asked weirdly. "We're family. You don't need payment for helping your family."

"Family? Bah! They're family only now that that faggot has abandoned them. If they were family how come I have never been helped by them? What? Why are you giving me that look?" Harry sneered at the older girl when she glared at him.

"Supposedly I'm your god son, Sirius. And being a Potter means that I'm some sort of cousins with the Malfoys. How come they had not had a care in the world about their family when I lived as a homeless person? Were was my 'family' when as an 8 year old boy there were times when I had to literally fight with stray dogs over the wasted food from the garbage? Where were they when I slept under London's bridges in the biting cold during Christmas when I was eight?"

Harry's voice was not angry. He was speaking as if he was simply listing some facts, as if what he was saying was completely unrelated to him, as if the little child suffering of cold and hunger on the streets had not been him.

"Family? Family consists of those that support each other and trust each other. Blood, nationality, race, none of these matter. It's the bonds that people have with each other that make a family. I'm not some sort of philosopher and I've only had a family for less than a year, but I know the things I said are true because I have experienced them myself: the Argyris are not blood related to me, they have a different nationality and half of them are of a different race. But they are family. My precious family."

"Anyway," he abruptly changed the subject "I just came here to tell you I won't come to the DADA class as I'm feeling quite ill after yesterday night." Harry said while throwing a meaningful glance at Sirius who paled at the memory. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the Hospital Wing."

With that Harry sat up from where he was sitting and left the room. But only three seconds after leaving he snuck back his head through the half-open door.

"And by the way, those tears of hers were fake. Can't believe my god father is such a sucker." Harry said as if he just remembered that and then snickered at his own words.

"She's a snake, Sirius. Can't believe that I, a 12 year old boy, have to warn you about not believing all the hoes." Harry said and chuckled again.

"What did you just say?" Antoinette finally erupted, but Harry was not impressed.

"Calm your tits, blondie. We both know I didn't say anything wrong."

Antoinette took out her wand in rage but suddenly found herself slammed to the wall of the office in mid air by a large invisible hand. Her wand was snatched from her right hand by a formless wave of energy and levitated towards Harry's outstretched hand. He twirled it dexterly between his fingers for a few seconds before throwing it away carelessly. He turned his back towards Antoinette who was now collapsed on the floor and said in the same impassive manner:

"Be grateful. Not only I did I not break any of your bones for trying to attack me, but I also saved your job. I doubt you'd have still been allowed to be an Auror trainee after having attacked a student."

And then, at a slow pace, Harry started his painfully tiring walk towards the Hospital wing.

 _'I wish I was able to fly.'_ Harry thought while walking down the stairs was proving to be even more difficult than climbing them. He made a few more steps before slapping his own forehead.

"How in the world have I not thought about trying to do that until now?!"

* * *

AN: You've gotten to see the surprise about Draco in this chapter. He had gotten the Horcux Diary and Tom Riddle has been slowly but steadily eating away at his will.

The Malfoys are also in dire straits. As you have probably already guessed, in this fic Quirrell had gotten the Philosopher's Stone and Voldemort used it to come back to life (the details will be disclosed later on). So now Lucius Malfoy is on the run, having abandoned his family in front of Voldemort incoming revenge. As you have probably realized, Antoinette had chosen to be a part of the Auror squad stationed at Hogwarts for the express reason to convince Sirius to give the Malfoys his protection. (Basically to let them live under the protection of the Black Manor).

Lastly, you've seen that although Athena is mad at Harry, she still cares a lot about him. But Harry will receive a big scolding in the future from her haha.

 **Thank you for your encouraging reviews last chapter! I'm very busy these days seeing as I'm starting the new college year on Monday but despite that I really wanted to write a new chapter after the warm reactions I had received :)**


	26. Chapter 26 - The Gift, The Scolding

AN: I don't know whether I'll be able to write more than 1 chapter a week or not because I have a hellish schedule (for example on Thursday I had 10 hours of classes). I'm always busy with uni...in fact even this chapter, most of it had been written across the week, in the moments when I rode the tram to uni..

Anyway, enjoy! I hope you'll like this chapter, I think it's a rather good one if you ask me :)

Those of my readers that are also fans of the anime Naruto, please vote on the poll on my profile. Thank you!

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

Many thanks to **Dased22** for proofreading this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 26 - The Gift. The Scolding**

After the incident with Dumbledore and the Unbreakable Vow, Harry's physical condition worsened to the point where he could barely walk by himself. His spell-work was sloppy at best and his magic was surging inside of him chaotically. For some reason though, his ability to levitate things was completely unaffected. (1)

Harry has spent an entire week in the hospital, constantly under not only Madam Pomfrey's watch, but even Dumbledore's and Sirius'. Out of the three of them, the most interested in Harry getting well again was undoubtedly Dumbledore, and that for obvious reasons.

Speaking of Dumbledore, Harry noted that the old man seemed to have lost quite a lot of weight in just a few days, his cheeks were sunken and there were purple bags under his eyes. He seemed as if he had not slept for days.

Back to the matter at hand, when Harry finally escaped from Madam Pomfrey's potions treatment, he returned to his room in the Slytherin dorms. To his surprise every single thing was positioned just as he had left them a week before. In fact it seemed that ever since a week ago nobody except for him had entered the room, not even the one who was supposed to be his roommate, Blaise Zabini. Actually, Harry realized that Zabini's bed and trunk have disappeared, he now had the entire room for himself.

When he looked over his things, Harry realized that he had not opened yet the large wrapped box that Lilith's grandfather gifted him right before boarding the Hogwarts Express!

With a hint of excitement in his eyes, Harry immediately ripped apart the box...only for inside the ripped box to find another similarly wrapped box. However, beside that there was also a letter.

* * *

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Everyone in the house gave you a gift on your birthday: my wife gave you a very rare and important book about her race (you'd do well to read it and keep it in perfect condition if you don't want to be skinned alive when the Christmas Holiday comes), Hector and Galatea gifted you a fancy watch and Lilith gave you an Undying Orchid. I was the only one who didn't give you anything, right?_

 _Well, the reason for that is very simple: my gift had not been ready. There was one "ingredient" that I have been missing for months. But after I saw what kind of present you received from my adorable granddaughter, well, my worries about the last component that I needed have vanished._

 _Inside this second box you'll find another box, but much smaller. Inside of it you will find something that I think you have always wished for. I'm sure the two of you will become eternal partners._

 _Your grandfather-figure,_

 _Iason._

 _PS: Be sure when you come back for the Christmas Holiday to say loudly and clearly just who was the one that had given you the most brilliant present. Hehe._

* * *

What was that Harry had always wished for? A rush of excitement went over him and his heart started beating faster. He hurriedly ripped the second box and inside of it he found a small, rectangular shaped black box. Contrary to his previous rush, Harry slowly opened the box this time and looked at its contents: it was a red-coloured wand with a supple body and a large number of very small runes sculpted into the wood of the handle.

Harry lifted his hand and hesitantly grabbed the handle of the red wand. The runes on the handle glowed with a blue

light at his touch, their light protruding even through Harry's clasped hand. He felt a rush of adrenaline and when he swished the wand in the air a beautiful explosion of silver lights erupted from its tip, basking the entire room in the very bright moonlight-like glow.

"My precious!" Harry murmured fervently as he looked at the wand in his hand with a transfixed expression on his face. (2)

It took Harry almost half an hour to calm down his excitement and to stop looking at his wand like a madman. When he finally got back to his usual self, he saw a small note in the rectangular box of the wand.

 _Padauk wood (naturally red), 13 inches long and with a core of... well, its core is a Veela's hair. More exactly, it's one of Lilith's hairs. This was the component that I had been missing. But after realizing that my dear Lilith's growing affections towards you, only then I could be sure that the core, the wand itself would accept you. Use the wand well and I'm saying this like from one man to another man: break my little granddaughter's heart and I'll break your legs. Happy birthday!_

Harry stiffened. But not because of Iason's not veiled at all threat. There was somethingelse bothering him.

 _'Are you for real? Lilith's hair? What the hell?'_

He had tried at Ollivander over a hundred wands and all of them rejected its touch; and the wand that finally accepts him has in fact one of Lilith's hair as its core?

Flashes of memories suddenly went through Harry's mind.

 _Dressed up in her blue PJs, Lilith was hugging her knees to her chest while sitting on the sofa near the fireplace, across Harry. Her long and lustrous white hair was flickering with orange and red in the light of the fire and her angelic face was resting on her knees as she looked at him._

 _[...]_

 _"I said I am sorry!" said Lilith louder this time and her cheeks were so red that you'd say she was having a fever._

 _[...]_

 _"You...you really are just an asshole!" Lilith said before storming out of the living room, mumbling in anger to herself as she left: "I don't even know why I like him!"_

 _[...]_

 _Lilith and Harry racing on their Nimbus 2001 around the Argyris Archipelago..._

 _[...]_

 _Lilith and Harry competing in spell-casting..._

 _[...]_

 _The two of them "playing" a twisted version of Hide and Seek through the woods surrounding the Argyris manor..._

 _[...]_

 _The two of them taking dancing lessons, with Harry barely being able to concentrate to the actual learning because of the closeness of her body to his..._

 _[...]_

 _The beautiful fragrance of her long and silver hair when it brushed past his face .._

 _[...]_

 _The two of them eating ice-cream and walking through the Diagon Alley..._

And lastly, a flashback from right before boarding the train..

 _An awkward moment of silence instilled between the two teenagers when Lilith finished her explanation while the rest of the Argyris and Sirius watched them from the side-lines with great interest._

 _"Admit it, you're going to miss me until Christmas comes." Lilith said eventually with a teasing grin._

 _"As if! Who's gonna miss someone as noisy as you!" Harry retorted._

 _Another moment of silence followed, neither of them knowing what to say and neither of them having the guts to be honest towards each other when there were so many eyes watching them._

 _But in the end Lilith couldn't bear it and she took Harry by surprise when she hugged him._

 _"Well, I am going to miss you." Lilith whispered into his ear while she hugged him. "Thank you again for saving my life, Harry!" and she planted a shy but quick kiss on his left cheek before jumping away from him with such a speed that for a moment Harry had had the impression that she had Disapparated._

 _Now boiling, Lilith was hiding with her face buried into Galatea's back, not daring to let anyone see her._

 _Harry was rendered speechless. He could hear two people catcalling and wolf-whistling in the background, but he was too overwhelmed by Lilith's actions. Her soft fragrance of lavender still lingered on his clothes and the place where she had kissed him felt like it was burning. Sure, he had held her close to his body before while practicing dancing, but this time it was different...he was petrified._

 _[...]_

Harry's face was now beet reed at the memories flashing through his head and he understood that it must have been Athena that has made him recall all these things in such a vivid manner.

 _'Wasn't she angry at me? ...or is this the way she shows me she is still not over it?'_

 _'Damn, I need a cold shower.'_ Harry thought.

Harry sensibly took off the Gorgoneion from around his neck and hid it under the mattress of the bed. He always took it off when taking a shower and every time he went to the bathroom he placed it in one of his pockets. After all, goddess or not, Athena was a woman. And Harry didn't feel comfortable at all with having a woman watching him in the bathroom. Especially not in the moments like today when the memories that Athena had brought up at the surface of his mind have triggered...certain urges.

Thankfully none of the Argyris had brought up until then a discussion about him hitting the puberty. He was sure he would die of embarrassment to have someone like Galatea or even Helen who was still a very beautiful lady despite her old age, giving him "The Talk".

On a totally unrelated side note, it was only after three quarters of an hour that Harry had finally gotten out of the shower...

 _Scene break_

The same tumultuous sea, and the same rocky beach - it was just like the first time when Harry had been brought into the Gorgoneion's inner world. However, unlike the first time, the sky was covered by a thick blanket of dark clouds. It was hard to determine the exact time of the day but Harry suspected that it was evening because of the darkness. There were no more gentle breezes this time either and ragging winds were whipping Harry's face, making it hard for him to breathe.

Seated on one of the rocks littering the beach was Athena. Her golden helmet and spear laid at the side together with her divine shield, her body now being clad only in a white robe which was fluttering in the wind.

Athena was watching the agitated sea in silence with her back turned at Harry. Upon arriving there, Harry did not dare to disturb the goddess from her contemplating expression.

A few long minutes passed. Eventually Athena's gentle voice broke the silence.

"What have you done wrong? Have you reflected upon your mistakes?"

At Athena's gentle voice Harry flinched. He'd rather have her scream than talk to him so kindly. Now he felt even worse than before. And the worst part was that he was not even sure what had he done wrong, why was Athena angry at him. Mind you, Athena has never been angry at him before. At least not to his knowledge.

"It seems like you're still a child after all." Athena said and Harry caught the slight disappointment in her voice.

The goddess turned her head towards Harry beckoned him to come closer to her. He took a seat beside her on the rock and listened to her words.

"Remember last year? Do you remember your fight against the troll?"

Harry nodded and started to suspect were was the conversation heading to.

"Do you remember your attitude before the start of it?" Athena asked again but this time she didn't wait for an answer and continued to speak.

"You were afraid for your life, you were afraid because you had thought before about the most probable outcome of a confrontation between you and the troll. You had calculated your chances against the creature and had realized that in the circumstances of that time you were doomed to fail."

She paused for a few seconds, letting her words sink in.

"Where is the Harry Potter of that time? Where is the careful and calculating mind you had had when you were younger?"

Harry lowered his gaze at his feet just like a child does when being scolded by his mother.

"You did not wait Dumbledore to finish his words and jumped to conclusions. You recklessly attacked him while knowing that you didn't normally stand a chance. And only an hour or so after that, you provoked around 40 students while being on the verge of losing your consciousness. You were rash and reckless. Your actions could have gotten you killed or seriously injured had I not been there. What would you have done had I not been there to save you? _What if I had not been able_ _save you?_ "

Athena cupped Harry's cheeks gently with both her hands and lifted his chin to look him in the eyes.

"Look at me, Harry."

Harry's heterochromatic eyes looked into the silvery eyes of the goddess but then he averted them to the side.

"Do you understand what have you done wrong?"

Harry nodded in her hands, not finding his words to speak.

"I once told you to put your trust in me, that I would help you whenever things got too hard for you to handle. And I stand by my promise."

"However, what you did was both dangerous and unnecessary."

"You have to discern when it is necessary to risk your life and when it is not. When you risked your life to fight the troll was in order to save your friend's life. It was for a worthy cause. Moreover, the disparity between your strength and the troll's was not that large."

"But there are times when just having strength will not cut it. You can't violently smash your way through life every time. There is a saying - 'there's always a higher mountain and a taller tree.' - which means that there will always be someone more powerful than you..."

"And even if you truly were the 'tallest tree' out there...it is in fact the tallest tree that most of the times falls first because, due to its height, it stands unprotected against the powerful gales of wind. That means that even if you will eventually become the most powerful wizard in the world, if you make enemies with everyone, your life's ending will be swift." Athena said with a heavy voice.

"More often than not conflicts can be avoided and problems solved with just a few words spoken at the right moment."

"There is a time for keeping calm and there is a time for unleashing your anger. There is a time to avoid enemies and there is a time to face them head on. There is a time for words and there is a time for actions."

"Do you understand that, Harry?"

As Athena spoke, Harry ingrained her words deep into his mind. He was no longer the ignorant child from a year ago who didn't understand just who was Athena. After reading all the legends about her Harry understood just how great she was. Even amongst other gods and goddesses, Athena had always been at the top. Therefore, Harry now realized just how fortunate he was to have the Goddess of Wisdom herself guide him. And unlike other children/teenagers of his age who sulked or got angry at being admonished, Harry was in fact glad for being scolded by Athena. That's because he understood that Athena was not scolding him out of spite or because she wanted to vent her anger on someone or other similar petty reasons. No, Harry knew that Athena was doing it because she cared about him...she was doing it out of love.

Athena sensed Harry's thoughts and she caressed his cheeks affectionately. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead and Harry closed his eyes in content while a faint red coloured his face.

And although unsure of how will she react, Harry brought his small arms around the goddess' midsection and hugged her. To Harry's relief, Athena returned the gesture and hugged his small body to her chest...

The violent storm in the inner world magically subsided. The dark grey clouds vanished at an astonishing fast pace and the crimson rays of the setting sun once again bathed the sky with their brilliance. Even the previously tumultuous sea had become peaceful.

* * *

AN:

(1) You'll understand in the future chapters why, there is a solid reason behind that.

(2) Sorry, I couldn't help remembering Gollum from The Lord of the Rings lol


	27. Chapter 27 - Exams

AN: Here's the new chapter, enjoy!

Those of my readers that are also fans of the anime Naruto please vote on the poll on my profile.

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

(this chapter has not been proofred by beta, sorry for any mistakes I may have made)

* * *

 **Chapter 27 - Exams**

Days passed and it was now the time for students to take on the exams that would decide their fate regarding the current school year. Based on the results of these exams they will continue in their current year, be allowed to skip right to the next year or even be retrograded to the previous year. Therefore, it goes without saying just how heavy was the pressure everyone felt...everyone except for a few particular students. For example, amongst the ranks of the current 2nd year students there were three students that literally had no fear. A Hufflepuff girl named Hermione Granger, a Slytherin boy - Harry Potter and surprisingly, Neville Longbottom.

Mind you, although Hermione Granger was acting as if she were desperate for not having prepared enough for the exams, deep down she reckoned she wouldn't really have a problem. Because to stay at the top of the year was not possible only by cramming before a test. One had to study after every class so the knowledge would gradually accumulate. Therefore, in the eve of a test, there would only be a need to review the previously acquired information. And Hermione was the type of person that would take at least an E regardless of the nature of a test and regardless of its suddenness.

Harry instead...you could consider him a cheater. Because of the powerful enhancements of the Gorgoneion he had an almost eidetic memory. He only needed to read something once to have a perfect recall of it even after half an year. Therefore, the written exams were in his opinion a piece of cake. Sure, there was also a practical part for each exam, but his tutoring under the Argyris made him very confident of his spell-work.

As for the last one...it was actually Neville Longbottom, the Boy Who Lived. Unlike the impression he gave off at the first sight, Neville was not as dumb as some people believed him to be. He knew very well what having his own status meant and he often made full of use of that. For example, in the current situation Neville didn't have a care in the world about the incoming exams. He was the famous Boy Who Lived. There was no way the Ministry's officials would retrograde him to do the first year once again because in the eyes of the British Wizards he was a hero. He was their symbol of hope, like a Lighthouse in the dark. How would it be like for the one hailed as the Hero of the Wizarding World to be portrayed into the light of a dumb and incompetent student? Neville Longbottom was completely sure of his success. He knew that everyone would pass him anyway, regardless of his actual results.

 _Scene break - Charms written Exam_

[...]

 _ **9\. Enumerate the 7 types of spells known to wizards.**_

 _'Tsk! Piece of cake.'_ Harry thought smugly while writing the answer.

 **The 7 types of spells are: Transfiguration Spells, Charms, Hexes, Curses, Jinxes, Healing Spells and Counter-spells.**

[...]

 _ **14\. What is the wand movement necessary to cast the Levitation Charm?**_

At this question, instead of describing the wand movement, Harry simply drew it.

[...]

 _ **30\. Write the incantation for the Unlocking Charm.**_

 **Alohomora.**

That had been the last question of the interrupted year Charms written exam and in Harry's opinion it was had been very easy. Unless someone was a complete idiot, it was impossible to not take a passing grade, at least an A (Acceptable). However, those who finished answering the quiz for the interrupted year could request to be also given the quiz for the 2nd year. And as long as Harry answered correctly to at least 80% of the questions in both written exams, he would be qualified to skip directly into the 3rd year. Things were a bit more complicated as the students had to be able to gain similar results for at least 5 out of the 7 core subjects to be allowed to truly skip a year (Transfiguration, Astronomy, Potions, DADA, History of Magic, Charms and Herbology). That meant that if Harry only managed to get good results for 4 objects instead of at least 5, regardless of how outstanding he performed for those exams, he would still remain in the current year.

With these kind of thoughts in mind, Harry was determined to not 'barely' manage to skip a year but to excel in all of them. He wanted to take only O (Outstanding) grades at each one of the written exams because in his mind having any less remarkable results would be an affront at his Gorgoneion's capabilities, or further said, to his status as Athena's protégé. Harry wanted to be the best, to see everyone look up at him an awe and envy and to relish in his superiority.

That being said, Harry breezed through the 2nd year Charms written exam as well. The questions had gotten a tad more trickier, but it was still manageable for him. For example, the 10th question of the quiz was:

 _ **10\. Enumerate the differences between a Jinx and a Hex.**_

 _'Hmm... a bit tricky this question... but that doesn't mean it's hard. For me it's still easy.'_ Harry thought as he wrote the following answer:

 **A Hex is considered to be a spell affiliated with Dark Magic, but not to the extent Curses are. That being said, a Hex is "darker" than a Jinx.**

 **Not unlike a Charm, a Hex only needs to be casted once for its effects to last. In comparison, a Jinx only works for as long as the caster says the incantation and keeps his eyes locked on the target.**

That was what Harry had read in the books, it was the official answer. However, he couldn't help himself continuing to write his own opinion on the differences between the two types of spells.

 **Jinxes are considered to be less "dark" than Hexes and are often thought to be used for pranks... But f** **or a spell to work there are 3 necessary components: the incantation, the wand movement and lastly, but not any less important, the intent.** **What I am trying to say is that if I were to Jinx someone's knife while he's slicing a loaf of bread, I could very well cut off a bunch of his fingers. Or if I were to Jinx someone's broom while he is hovering at 60 feet high up in the air, I could very well make him fall to his death.**

 **That being said I believe that the entire matter about "Dark" spells and "Light" spells is mostly wrong. In my opinion it is in fact the intent with which the Wizards cast the spells that makes a spell "Light" or "Dark".**

 _Scene break_

Thanks to his formidable memory Harry has breezed throughout all the written exams; even the two at the History of Magic didn't pose too much of a challenge because for Harry it was almost like copying the answers to the questions from the books in his mind, this was how vividly he could recall all the acquired information.

As for the practical part of the exams, everything was surprisingly easy. Before being gifted a wand by Iason, Charms had posed the greatest challenge for Harry given the fact that to cast Charms without a wand was very hard. He could still do it after many hours of practice (he had had plenty of them during his stay at the Argyris) but casting charms while wielding a wand was so much easier! He didn't even need to concentrate too much to cast the Cushioning Charm at the Charms practical exam for the 2nd year.

At Transfiguration Harry easily managed to transfigure two rabbits into a pair of bunny slippers and passed the 2nd year exam brilliantly.

Given that Harry easily passed both the 1st and 2nd year Charms practical exams, Harry had also had an easy time with the practical exam of Defence Against the Dark Arts since many of the spells learned in the Charms class were also used for DADA. Besides those Harry showed his ability through casting a Disarming Charm, the Full Body Binding Curse and a flawless Verdimillious Charm. (1)

In the Potions Exam Harry had also had no problems whatsoever in either of the two parts of the 2 exams. It goes without saying that the written exams posed no challenge...as for the practical part, the interrupted year's exam consisted of brewing a Cure for Boils. The additional 2nd year exam which allowed the students to skip right to the third year consisted of brewing a Wiggenweld Potion, the antidote for the Draught of Living Death.

Watching Neville Longbottom melting a cauldron with his disastrous potion brewing skills, Harry couldn't help the incredulous expression on his face.

 _'Just how in the world can someone suck this badly at this?!'_ was what Harry asked himself in disbelief.

The potions they were brewing right now did not involve any additional spells to that of lighting a fire under the cauldron. Apart for that little spell, Harry reckoned that even a Muggle would have no problem in brewing a potion while having the recipe in front of his eyes. He couldn't understand, how can someone possibly mess up like that.

 _'You just have to pay attention and mindlessly follow the bloody instructions!'_ Harry continued on to rant in his mind.

 _Scene break_

In an empty classroom, while holding tightly the red wand in his wand, Harry was practicing magic.

It was the afternoon of Monday, in the week after the exams week and the results have already been given to the students. To everyone's surprise, there were very few who hadn't managed to pass the exams of the interrupted last year. There were less than 10 students who had to repeat last year.

On the other hand, there were only 2 persons that stood out as exceptional students: Harry Potter from Slytherin House and Hermione Granger from Hufflepuff. The two of them were tied having all the grades of O (Outstanding), with only an E (Exceeding Expectations).

Hermione made a mistake with while casting the Verdimillious Charm at the DADA practical exam for skipping to the next year - instead of releasing a soft glow to identify the dark object hidden in the room, she set a bench on fire (depending of the caster's intent the Verdimillious Charm could either release a soft glow to identify the Dark artefacts in a room or shoot a jet of sparks). That was her only mistake.

As for Harry...his mistake had been made at the Herbology practical exam for skipping to the next year. He had had to plant a 'baby' mandrake without suffering any incidents (the cry of a baby mandrake could render someone unconscious for the rest of the day while the adult version of it actually killed the ones who heard its cry).

Mind you, Harry had not made the mistake to take off his ear protectors but there had been one particular problem: the baby mandrake simply did not want to be put in the hole, to be planted! It screamed and trashed around as if there were a devil possessing it. Harry struggled in vain to plant it for a little more than an entire quarter of hour...

But Harry has never been known for his patience. After 15 minutes of meaningless sweat and effort, he finally snapped. He began to rain down cruel punches on the poor baby mandrake. After the 10th fist collided with the plant, even its screaming had stopped! But nooo, Harry was not satisfied - after finally managing to shut the mandrake up and to plant it, he also stepped on it a few times...just for the hell of it.

Seeing the grotesque way Harry manhandled the mandrake, Pomona Sprout, the Herbology professor was stunned in disbelief for a few good seconds. It was outrageous! If it hadn't been for the disastrous results of most of the other students, Harry would have barely gotten an A (Acceptable) for his behaviour. But given that like half of the ones taking the practical exam to skip the year have been rendered unconscious, professor Sprout had felt forced to give Harry a higher grade.

Back to the matter at hand though, Harry was now enjoying himself with casting a Fire-Making Charm and trying to manipulate its shape in the air.

It was such an exhilarating thing to feel how his magic rumbled inside of him and how it responded to each one of his thoughts. Ever since the day when Athena possessed his body twice, Harry has noticed some dramatic changes at him (besides the change in the colour of one of his eyes). For the first week or so his control over his magic had been horrible. He had been worried that he would mess up big time at the practical exams because of his inability to cast spells. But after that period of weakness had passed, with but a thought he could cast each one of the spells he knew without even needing to say the incantation out loud, or even in his thoughts at all, just like he had always casted the Levitation Charm...and now that he also had a wand, practicing magic had become...addicting.

Suddenly, the door of the old and abandoned classroom was opened and Harry turned his eyes towards it curiously.

There, at the entrance, stood a 14 year old boy. He had dark skin, curly shoulder-length black hair and handsome facial features. It was none other than Dan, Harry's 'former' friend from the first year of school.

"Hey!"

An awkward greeting followed then by an awkward moment of silence. Harry paused his practicing and looked at Dan expectantly, in silence.

It was already the third week of September and until now Dan had not dared to initiate a talk with Harry. At first Harry had thought that Dan simply did not want to associate himself with him anymore, especially not after Harry had shown off that terrible and ruthless side of him in the middle of the Slytherin common room. But Harry was not blaming him...he admitted that what he did back then would be frightening to witness for any normal wizard. Even so, he still felt like Dan should have at least said a "Thank you" for saving his life. But Athena told Harry that it would be better to just wait for Dan to come to him.

"Hey!" Harry also replied, breaking the silence.

Being stared at by Harry's heterochromatic silver and green eyes made Dan feel as if he was being scanned by an x-ray. He felt as if Harry could easily see through his thoughts. It was unnerving.

"Although unnecessary, thank you for you and Gwen standing on my side two weeks ago." Harry said breaking the awkwardness.

"N-No, mate, it is I who should be thanking you...I had said such horrible things about you, yet you still saved my life, even after I brushed your warnings aside. I'm sorry, I-"

But Dan's words were cut short when Harry approached him and unexpectedly punched him in the nose hard. Dan fell to the floor and involuntarily screamed:

"What was that for, asshole?!"

"That's for the sucker punch you threw at me last year. Did you forget? Now we're even." Harry said with a grin while wiping the blood off his knuckles. There was probably no-one who held onto a grudge as much as Harry did.

* * *

AN:

(1) Verdimillious Charm is canon. Check it out on wiki


	28. Chapter 28 - Worries Vanished

AN: Here's the new chapter, enjoy!

Those of my readers that are also fans of the anime Naruto please vote on the poll on my profile.

 _I need a beta. . .again. PM me if you want to help me with the proofreading._

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

(This chapter has not been proofread by my beta sorry for any mistakes I may have made)

* * *

 _Chapter 28 – Worries Vanished_

 _In the middle of a small forest, a roaring fire was illuminating the pitch black darkness of the night. A gigantic serpent of flames rose from the inferno and with a deafening hiss it plunged towards a beautiful cottage that was currently surrounded by a bright blue dome of light. Until that moment the dome of light had successfully protected the cottage from the violent fire but when the gigantic serpent of fire smashed into it, cracks began to spread across the dome of light and the ward collapsed as if it were made of glass._

 _"As expected from the Dark Lord!"_

 _"Amazing!"_

 _"Such power!"_

 _Were the words coming from each one of the ten masked, black robed silhouettes._

 _The terrified screams of two small children were heard at the same time and a young woman came out through the door:_

 _"I'll do anything, just please, spare my children!" the woman pleaded desperately as she knelt on the ground._

 _"Anything?" one of the black robbed men asked with a lecherous laugh._

 _"Disgusting pig." came a female cold and mocking voice from one of the masked silhouettes._

 _"What was that, Lestrange? Shut your trap unless you want to take her place!" the brutish man that previously laughed shouted. But then he suddenly screamed after a cold voice said:_

 _"Crucio!"_

 _"We have not come here tonight for you to indulge yourself in your filthy carnal desires. Don't act like an idiotic muggle, Dolohov."_

 _"Yes, My Lord. Forgive me, My Lord." the brutish man said in a trembling voice as if he were a scared 5 year old child._

 _"Spare no-one!" the icy voice of the Dark Lord said once again and three jets of green light impacted the kneeling woman at the same time. Right after that, three other Death Eaters entered the cottage and the windows of the house were lighted by two flashes of green light. The two children also followed their mother into the afterlife._

 _Scene break_

"Those...those animals!" Harry raged with his fists clenched. His face was livid, his silver-grey eye was glowing and he was shaking in anger.

He was not aware of it, but because of the intensity of his emotions his magic was affecting his surroundings, making the furniture in the room tremble.

"And this was not an isolated case." Dumbledore's grave voice was heard. "Voldemort and his followers have murdered in cold blood countless people. Even more than so, not few were the instances when they tortured their victims to insanity. Some of the more unrestrained Death Eaters have even raped mothers in front of their children or made the children do unspeakable things to their parents through the use of the Imperius Curse."

It was the third memory Harry watched in the Pensieve in that evening. Each one of those memories showed some bits from Voldemort's reign of terror in Great Britain.

Harry Potter would admit any day and at any time that he was a very selfish person. He always tried to insure his well-being first and then, if he was in the mood, maybe he'd also start thinking about others. But he considered that this is only natural. He believed that in fact everyone was just as selfish as him, the only difference being that they liked to hide that side of them. Back to the point, Harry was most of the time very uncaring about others' well-being... However, even with his degree of indifference, he could still not shake off the uncontrollable anger that rose from his heart at the last memory.

The sight of the poor mother desperately pleading for her children's life, her willingness to throw away even her dignity as a human being just so she could save her children...it was like a burning hot iron rod had been stabbed through his heart. And when even despite her pleas she had been made fun of and then mercilessly murdered, Harry finally had enough.

Harry Potter was not stranger to violence. He had seen many times thugs violently beating each other, he had seen two people being stabbed to death on the streets and even a someone being eaten alive by a gigantic Cerberus. He himself had acted violently many times, even after leaving London's streets and coming at Hogwarts. Despite all of that, he was still unprepared for the Death Eaters' cruelty. It was appalling. Outrageous.

Dumbledore interlocked his fingers and rested his bearded chin on his hand as he continued to speak.

"I am not proud of my previous actions in regards to you. I know I have been rash as fear had clouded my mind...the fear of you becoming the same as Voldemort-"

"But I'd never become such a monster! How can you even compare me to him?" Harry yelled in anger and disbelief.

But Dumbledore looked unperturbed.

"Voldemort has not always been like that. Sure, you could say that he had always had an "evil streak". But he had not always been the monster he had become in the later part of the war."

"It takes only a pebble to start an avalanche. Likewise, a child with...issues, could eventually become a madman in the future."

"There is a saying - the one that has been bitten by a snake now jumps even at the sight of a green lizard. When I first met you, you immediately made me recall Tom Riddle, the one who had come to be known as Voldemort...Both of you orphans...Both of you have grown up in an orphanage...both of you with a ridiculous talent in magic...both of you exceptionally resourceful and intelligent for your own ages...both of you wanting to be special, to be different from the masses...both of you disregarding any authority figure and breaking the rules...and lastly, both of you never hesitating in using even violent methods to achieve your purposes."

"I was honestly terrified at the prospect of watching another Dark Lord rise right under my nose. My resolve had been at first to influence your decisions and make you become a man upholding the ideals of the light, of the Greater Good. But when you proved to be uncontrollable, my thoughts shifted..."

A long silence followed after Dumbledore trailed off and Harry couldn't deny the truth in the former headmaster's words. Him and Voldemort truly shared a lot of things in common. Dumbledore was right to be paranoid. However...

"There is one thing that makes the difference between me and him to be as large as that between the night and the day." Harry said, breaking the silence and startling Dumbledore who began to look at Harry with an intensity that made him a little uncomfortable.

"In fact, two things." Harry corrected himself. "I have a family. They're not blood related to me...but that's of no importance. I trust them. And I care about them..."

"Purebloods, Half-bloods and Muggleborns...to hell with that! I don't give a crap about such trivial things. As for ruling everyone or holding political power? Becoming an anarchist? Another load of crap... I don't care about something like this either. I have never fancied the thought of taking the driver's seat... It's more comfortable to stay in the back, living leisurely with the people I have grown to love."

Dumbledore literally breathed out an audible sigh of relief and it looked like half of the wrinkles on his face disappeared at Harry's words.

 _'Indeed, there may be many striking similarities between Harry and Tom...but there's one deciding factor that makes the two of them completely different. Tom had never experienced love. He had never tasted the happiness that love can bring to people. Harry also had not experienced anyone loving him and he had also not loved anyone for the most part of his life...but when he finally did, the feeling was probably ten times sweeter. And now Harry has people he cares about, someone he considers a family.'_

"What about the second thing?" Dumbledore asked curiously a few seconds after finishing his inner monologue.

"That's... well, even if I wanted to thread on that path, I wouldn't be able to. The one who watches over me wouldn't allow it."

Dumbledore's posture stiffened at the Harry's words.

 _'The one watching over the boy is obviously the one who had possessed him back then.'_ Dumbledore thought while unconsciously staring into Harry's heterochromatic eyes. The old wizard shuddered involuntarily at the reminder of that scene. And to this day he still remembered the entity's words regarding Harry:

 _ **"It doesn't matter who am I but the boy means the world for me."**_

Dumbledore felt as if a heavy stone had just been lifted from atop of his heart. Ever since he had been cornered into making an Unbreakable Vow, he has contemplated suicide almost every day. The last two weeks have been hellish for him. But now, hearing Harry saying such words was probably the best thing that could possibly happen in his life at the moment: not only Harry's reactions to the atrocities committed by the Death Eaters had been sincere, his words had also seemed to be true. Moreover, Dumbledore had a strong feeling that what Harry said about the entity residing inside of him were not lies either.

In his happiness, Dumbledore actually laughed and clasped his hands energetically as he said:

"Haha. Good, very good! Then, as per our agreement from now on I'll start tutoring you once every two days, in the evening!"

 _Scene break - later that day (Tuesday)_

When Harry left Dumbledore's office it was already an hour past the curfew (around 10 pm). During his walk towards the Slytherin Dungeon he had been stopped by the head of the patrolling Auror squad, Mr. Wilbury. The short and skinny Auror was about to go on a sharp rant about what happens to the ones breaking the rules but Harry immediately handed him Dumbledore's excuse note with a smug grin on his face. Harry swore in the moment that if the Auror glared any harder he would probably break a blood vessel in his eyes.

When he entered the Slytherin common room, it was once again as if someone just pressed the button for pause when watching a movie. Everyone in the room stopped from whatever they were doing and looked at him wearily. Some of the younger students' complexion even paled. For the first week or so it had been almost funny to see guys twice as big as him trembling at the sight of him, but now it was already the third week of school. It became tiring for Harry to see everyone around him looking at him as if he were a monster or a ticking bomb.

And despite of how secretive the Slytherin House was, snippets concerning his deeds still spread to rest of the school. It was just the third week of the year and there were already many rumours regarding him that had started circulating amongst students. Some heard that Harry conjured a Basilisk and threatened to kill his entire house if they didn't bow to him. Some even linked Dumbledore's ill appearance with Harry after he was seen coming out from his office - they said that like the mini Dark Lord that he is, Harry had somehow cursed Dumbledore.

Of course, it was bound for there to also be some students not fully believing the rumours, but seeing Harry being avoided by his own housemates like plague and also counting the fact that he was a Slytherin, all these things did nothing to diminish the rumours. No, they only fuelled them.

Harry walked to his bedroom. Being a 3rd year now thanks to the brilliant results obtained in the last week's exams, his bedroom had been changed. He was supposed to share a room with a 3rd year boy but said boy fled at the first sight of him - not that Harry was too affected by it this time: he had the whole room for himself.

Although it was night, Harry was not in the mood to sleep. He took out the mirror from his pocket and called:

"Sirius?"

At just two seconds from his call, Harry heard Sirius' voice:

"Oh, Harry, what's the matter?"

"I'd like to sneak out of the castle and fly for a bit."

"Oh, practicing for the Quidditch try-outs next week?"

"Huh? Of course not, it's already dark outside. I'm just not in the mood to sleep. Flying relaxes me. I also need some time alone to gather my thoughts... anyway, can you help me with this?"

"...I'm a professor, Harry, sorry. I don't think I can help you." Sirius teased.

"Hee~ and here I thought my godfather used to be a badass in school... I guess all that talk about being one of the famous Marauders was just that, some empty words?" Harry countered and although Sirius knew fully well that Harry provoking him, he couldn't help taking the cheap bait.

"Ha! I'll let you know I was the most handsome and most brilliant guy in my year! No, in all Hogwarts! I was-"

"Yeah, yeah, the pranking prince of Gryffindor, the Adonis of Hogwarts, the playboy, the symbol of hope and justice against the Slytherin, the mighty-"

"OK STOP IT!" Sirius yelled from his end of the mirror with his face red in embarrassment.

"Hahaha!" Harry burst into laughter, not being able to keep holding it in.

The funniest part was that all the titles above had all been said by Sirius in one of his moments of reminiscing the past (also known as bragging sessions). At that time Sirius had felt cool saying all these things but now, hearing them come from another person's mouth, he just realized how lame it sounded. The fact that Harry was laughing his ass off did nothing to help his embarrassment.

"I'll show you!" yelled Sirius. "Let's make bet: if I manage to get you out of the castle undetected and in less than 10 minutes you owe me a favour. Deal?"

"Deal!" said Harry and Sirius could almost hear the laughter in his voice.

"Cunning little bastard. No wonder he ended up in Slytherin." grumbled Sirius but there was no real heat in his voice.

 _Scene break_

"Climb up the stairs in the corner of the corridor and then turn to left."

"Now turn to right!"

"An Auror is coming, hide behind the armour."

Harry finally burst, his curiosity finally getting the better of him:

"You're in your office, how the fuck do you know who's coming and who's not, or that I was near an armour?!"

It was now Sirius' turn to laugh arrogantly.

"Hehe, that's..." he made a teasing pause "...for me to know and for you to find out."

"Bwahaha-" SIrius burst into a bark of a laughter at Harry's super annoyed face in the small mirror.

"Stupid prick!" Harry cussed annoyed and ended the connection in the middle of Sirius' laughter.

He picked up his Nimbus 2001 from the floor and then started to walk hurriedly along the corridor. He was very close to the entrance of the castle, so he didn't need Sirius' guidance anymore to sneak around.

"In fact, let's try this!" Harry said brimming with excitement at the idea he had just gotten.

He actually mounted his broom and suddenly broke into a fast flight making all the portraits on the corridor's wall start laughing and cheering as well - there had not been anyone crazy enough to fly with the broom on Hogwarts' corridors in centuries!

With a whispered "Alohomora" and a wandless Banishing Charm, the heavy wooden gates of the castle opened right as Harry got to them. Two more uses of the Banishing Charm and with one more spell - a Locking Charm - the gates were then closed back.

Without turning his head back, Harry plunged into the air at a breath-taking speed, getting to 70 feet in the air in less than 3 seconds! Then, with a yell of excitement, he let himself into a free fall until he got to less than 10 feet from the ground. He pulled up the shaft of the broomstick as hard as he could and from a spectator's point of view, it seemed like he barely managed to not hit the ground, that he had gotten out unscathed only thanks to his luck. But it was by far not the first time that Harry had had done that. Harry was becoming an adrenaline junkie with every passing moment spent on a broom. He loved immensely to feel the cold wind of the September night whipping his face and the exhilarating feeling of danger that came whenever he plunged into a free fall to the ground. It was by far one of the most marvellous things he had ever experienced in his life.

When his excitement finally calmed down, Harry started to glide softly above the Forbidden Forest and he fell deep into his thoughts.

* * *

AN: Just in case you haven't noticed, the title refers to Dumbledore's worries about Harry becoming a Dark Lord disappearing.

As for the guest reviewer telling me I was lazy...well, the explanation of the Charm was actually told in the chapter (that spell could either identify the dark objects or it could relase sparks). I directed you to wiki for the case where you wanted additional information. Pay more attention next time :p


	29. Chapter 29 - Internal Conflict

AN: Here's the new chapter, enjoy!

Those of my readers that are also fans of the anime Naruto please vote on the poll on my profile.

"Hello" - normal talk

 _"Hello" -_ Athena talking

 _'Hello'_ – thoughts

(This chapter has not been proofread by my chapter, sorry for any mistakes I may have made)

* * *

 **Chapter 29 - Internal Conflict**

As he hovered slowly above the forest, Harry looked at the starry sky and sighed. He was now experiencing a new emotion: loneliness.

Until coming at Hogwarts Harry had loved being alone, all by himself. He had seldom interacted with anyone and his only care had been to steal enough money for his living expenses. But after that, after his basic needs had been satisfied (food, shelter, money), Harry was at a loss of what to do. Until that moment his dream had been to become rich; but with the discovery of his inheritance, his dream became useless. He had lost his purpose.

However, back then, because of the events that kept happening one after another (the Cerberus, Athena's appearance, the troll) Harry had been distracted from his thoughts. After that he had lived at the Argyris and each one of his days was full with all kinds of activities. Plus, he had always been surrounded by people. He didn't have the time to think too deeply about his life.

But now Harry was once again alone. Harry was similar to those pets that after having been fed with meat refuse to eat anything else... after experiencing such beautiful moments with the Argyris family, Harry felt for the first time now how it felt to be lonely and he didn't like it anymore. He wished he were back in Greece, to fly above the three islands of the Argyris Archipelago. He missed Galatea's hugs, Iason's jokes, Hector's flying lessons and even more he missed the stern but loving grandmother figure of his, Helen. But the one he missed the most was undoubtedly Lilith. Their relationship had had a very rocky start but their enmity gradually changed into acceptance. A competitive spirit was born between the two of them afterwards and now Harry would say if asked with no embarrassment whatsoever that Lilith truly was his best friend. They have spent pretty much all day long together for the past 9 or so months. They fought each other, they laughed together, they annoyed each other, they competed, they played together, they danced together, they have even flown together. And now, after nearly 3 weeks of not doing any of these things Harry understood even better than before just how much the Argyris meant to him. He was not to the point of loving them, but he would surely feel sad if he were to never see them again.

"Do not worry, child. Things will not stay like this forever." Athena's words were heard.

"We both know that it's too late to change anything now. My situation here can no longer be improved, everyone is already avoiding me." Harry replied.

Athena didn't say anything at that and Harry continued his thoughts. It had been nice at first to see that everyone knew their places and stopped bothering him. But what happened was the extreme of what he had wanted...he had only wanted to not have any arrogant pricks bothering him, not to be feared as if he were a Dark Lord in training. And after having watched the memories in Dumbledore's Pensieve, Harry had started to feel even worse at the expressions of fear or mute hostility on everyone's faces when they looked at him.

For the first time in his life Harry was experiencing loneliness...

But then, his feelings of loneliness rapidly escalated into depression. He had never had such feelings before. He had never cared about others' opinion of him while he had lived on London's streets. And he has never felt such sadness. Sure, there had been bad moments in his life before, but Harry has never felt like in this moment before.

 _'I've become rich...I've even gotten a family... I now have everything I have really wanted in my life... B_ _ut what should I do from now on? What am I supposed to?'_

 _'Athena, can you tell me this?'_

Athena kept her silence as she felt that Harry needed to get out everything that burdened his mind.

"I don't really understand what's the reason people do what they do. Why do people live? Why do they struggle every day to reach fulfil their dreams? Why did I also do that when it's in fact so meaningless?" Harry asked himself, before replying to himself in a self-mocking tone: "Oh, it's because I foolishly thought that'd make me happy... by all means, I should be happy now..."

Harry manoeuvred the broom to land and he stopped at the shore of the Black Lake. He dismounted the broom and sat on the cold ground, with his back on the trunk of a nearby tree.

"I have everything I've ever wanted!" Harry said again to himself as he gazed at the pitch black water of the lake. "I have everything... yet why do I feel as if everything is meaningless?"

"What's the reason behind my life?" Harry asked himself. "Is there any sense in going on with the life like this?"

 _"Don't you care about Helen, Lilith and the others?"_ Athena asked. _"Is at least living for their sakes not enough of a reason to carry on?"_

Harry thought deeply about Athena's words, but to his shame, the conclusion that he arrived at was _"No."_

For him it was not a good enough reason. To Harry just existing for others' happiness was meaningless. It was stupid. And he reckoned that the Argyris wouldn't really like him that way either.

 _"Do you regret the fact that you have changed?"_ Athena asked him again.

"I..."

 _'Do I regret it?'_ Harry asked himself.

"I don't know." he said in the end truthfully. He would never lie to Athena.

Harry gazed in silence at the tranquil water of the Black Lake, for a long a while. Eventually Athena stopped Harry's contemplative state.

 _"Beforehand everything used to be simple: steal and be careful not to get caught. You didn't care about other people's opinion of you... I think you felt free... free as in not being shackled by the chains of common sense and by the rules of the society. Were you living like a savage? That may have been so. But you felt free."_

 _"On the other hand, you gained a family now. And although you love the way things used to be back then and that you could go back to how things used to be if you really wanted...although you could do that, you don't want to throw away what you have gained. You don't want to throw away the love of the ones you have grown to care about."_

 _"And now you're torn between the two sides of your personality: the part of you that wants to be wild and unrestrained and the other part of you the seeks the warmth of other fellow human beings. Isn't my assessment right, Harry?"_

Harry's was stunned into silence. Athena being the Goddess of Wisdom really was not just for show. She understood him better than he, himself, did. Even if he had wanted, he wouldn't have been able to explain any better what his inner conflict was about.

 _"There's no particular meaning to life, Harry. Whether you find a meaning in it or not...this all depends on yourself alone."_

Feeling that Harry didn't truly understand the meaning of her words, Athena continued.

 _"The life itself appears to have no meaning, does it not? For example some people continuously struggle to make their life better only for them to die in an unfortunate accident."_

" _Some people pursue riches but in their madness no matter how much they acquire, they never feel like they have enough and they're always running after more and more, eventually dying with their desires unquenched."_

" _Some pursue power but as I had told you before, there will always be a higher mountain and a taller tree..."_

" _Some people pursue their faith and their religions...but not few are the believers that die an unjust death every day. What had their faith served for? Were not their beliefs meaningless in the end?"_

" _Others pursue justice...but justice will never be implemented in the entire world. Even more than that, justice is like a two-faced coin: everyone's justice is different from the other's. Thus while in the eyes of some people you might look like a hero, in the eyes of the others you might be a villain."_

" _Then you probably ask yourself: what's the meaning of even trying to make justice? What is the meaning of struggling to achieve your goal? What is the meaning of making money and becoming powerful?"_

Athena waited for a while to let her words sink in before saying one more thing:

 _"Life seems to have no meaning... but why does it really need to have a meaning?"_

Harry listened attentively to Athena's words and inwardly agreed with her. Everything she said, he himself had thought about it recently. But at the last question, he couldn't help his disbelief at the goddess' words... she was the Goddess of Wisdom! How could Athena say that life doesn't really need to have a particular meaning?! Harry was bewildered.

"I... I don't understand." Harry admitted truthfully. "What's the point in carrying on if there's no meaning to it? Why would I continue to do something if there's no point in doing it?"

 _"This is not something you can be taught, Harry... this is something you need to experience yourself in order to understand."_ Athena said _. "Many of the philosophers of all times had asked themselves the same questions as you do now, questions like_ 'Where am I coming from?' _;_ 'Why was I born?' _;_ 'What's the purpose of my life?' _;_ 'What the reason behind my existence?' _and so on."_

 _"Not few were the ones that had fallen into despair after asking themselves these questions because they had not managed to find an answer to them and some of them had even chosen to end their lives as a result of that..."_

 _"Don't be rash again, my child... don't hurry into making a decision. Maybe there really is no meaning in life...but even so, if you linger for a while longer in this world, you might discover something of value in it..."_

And after finishing these words, Athena's voice took on a slightly admonishing tone.

 _"It is good to be selfish to a certain extent because you can't love others without loving yourself first. However, too much of one thing most of the times is harmful... and proof to that is that in the end it was your selfishness that had brought out this feeling of despondency from the depths of your heart."_

"This is who I am." Harry said stubbornly, now being one of the very rare times when he directly opposed Athena's words. "I know I'm selfish. Even if I wanted, I couldn't change myself. However, the thing is that I don't want to change this part of me. I'm not going to become a loser."

 _"So the Argyris are just a bunch of losers in your opinion? Helen has been a fool because she has given her all to educate you during the past year, hasn't she? Hector and Galatea are just idiots for having cared for you for so long, aren't they?"_

Harry wanted to say something but Athena did not give him the chance and asked again, this time with a tone that made Harry feel even more guilty.

 _"I was a fool as well for aiding you from the very first moment we have met, wasn't I? I'm a loser for repeatedly protecting you from all the harm and for caring about you as if you were my own son, am I not?"_

Athena sighed at Harry's downcast expression.

 _"I know your life, Harry. I know how hard it has been for you during the three years on the streets, especially in the first half of them when you were homeless... you've had a hard life. Often you would curl yourself together with the stray dogs to protect yourself from freezing in the winter and not few were the times when you went to "bed" with an empty stomach, secretly crying yourself to sleep. Because of the circumstances you had no-one to help you. You have had to depend on yourself to survive. You had become selfish because in those circumstances showing that you cared about others would've made you look like a loser...because only an idiot would share his bread with another when he didn't have enough even for himself."_

 _"But this is not the case anymore. The circumstances have changed. Now you're one of the wealthiest wizards in Great Britain. You have a family of even wealthier wizards that cares about you as if you were blood related to them. You're no longer a street rat that needs to steal in order to have what to eat the next day. You're no longer alone, there are people that care for you, people willing to help you and to support you."_

 _"What I want you to understand is that being grateful doesn't make you stupid. Showing mercy doesn't make you a loser. And caring about other people doesn't make you weak. Only after you learn how to truly care about others that you will be able to truly enjoy life and to find a purpose in it."_

* * *

AN: Hopefully, the talk about the life's meaning wasn't too "deep" or too boring... I know that not many people enjoy this kind of chapters, but I had to write it because it is very important for Harry's character development. Harry can't stay forever with the same selfish personality and with the same twisted views about life. Sure, he won't ever become someone like Mother Theresa (lol) but he'll gradually evolve to the point of becoming a good man.


	30. Chapter 30 - Neville's new resolve

AN: Here's the new chapter, enjoy!

Those of my readers that are also fans of the anime Naruto please vote on the poll on my profile.

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ – thoughts

(Don't have a beta, sorry for any mistakes I may have made)

* * *

 **Chapter 30 - Neville's new resolve**

In the Transfiguration classroom a tall and very old man was rubbing his temples tiredly while watching 2 boys glaring at each other. No, correctly said it would be that one of the boys was glaring at the other one while the second did his best to ignore him...something which only infuriated the first boy even more.

Chubby, quite tall for his 12 years, wearing expensive-looking robes and sporting a very eye-catching lightning-bolt scar in the middle of his forehead: he was none other than Neville Longbottom.

The boy at whom Neville was glaring and by whom he was being ignored was a bit scrawny for his age but had a presence that would make it impossible for anyone to ignore. His hair was raven-black and messy as if he had just gotten out of the bed and his complexion was tanned thanks to the long time he had spent under Greece's torrid sun. But the most eye-catching feature of this boy was his heterochromatic eyes: the left one was an emerald green while the right one was a bright silvery-grey. He was Harry Potter.

The current tense mood was further aggravated when Harry broke the silence in a rather rude manner.

"Professor, you said you were going to give me lessons today. What's this... this stupid fatass doing over here?"

Neville's face turned an angry shade of red and he exploded:

"What was that, filthy snake?"

But Harry ignored Neville again, not sparing him a glance, as if Neville wasn't even there. To say that Neville was enraged would not be an exaggeration. Being always showered in everyone's praises and always being in the spotlight made him feel as if he were entitled to that. Harry ignoring him like that angered him more than he would be willing to admit.

"Neville here is a very importa-" tried Dumbledore to reply to Harry's question but he was interrupted by him before he could finish his words.

"I see what you're trying to do." Harry said while staring right into Dumbledore's eyes. "But you should have been clearly aware that that's never gonna happen. We're way too different...not to mention how much of an incompetent and an arrogant idiot he is. This fatass and I will never become buddies."

Dumbledore heaved a deep sigh. He had hoped that through making Harry and Neville spend more time together the two of them will become friends in time. But apparently Harry had seen through his small plan from the get go. The even worse part was that he couldn't refute Harry's words about Neville. It was in times like this when Dumbledore wondered if the Prophecy really was veridical... because if it was and if Neville wasn't going to change at all, then the Great Britain would be doomed.

But even if Harry was not willing to become friends with Neville, Dumbledore still wanted the two of them to take his lessons together... he thought that at least that way Neville would feel motivated to improve himself. Because after seeing the large disparity between him and Harry and because of his arrogant personality Neville would most likely feel extremely pressured at a subconscious level to at least match Harry's performance. And Dumbledore had no doubts whatsoever that Harry outclassed Neville in nearly every field in both magic and real life - Charms, DADA, Transfiguration, intelligence, fighting experience, maturity etc. Only in Herbology was Neville holding the upper hand...but that was hardly of any use in a direct confrontation with Voldemort or anyone else for that matter.

While having these thoughts, Dumbledore decided to actually pit Neville and Harry against each other from the get go. After all, having such a powerful and intelligent rival would benefit Neville enormously.

"I know the rough levels you have reached in your magical education thanks to the results you obtained at the last week's exams. However, I want to know the exact situation: which are your strong points, which are your weak points and what do you not feel confident in."

"Hence, we'll begin with Transfiguration..."

 _Scene break_

Half an hour or so later, the chubby silhouette of Neville Longbottom was laying on one of the desks in the classroom breathing heavily.

 _'As expected from the child of the prophecy!_ ' Dumbledore inwardly praised when he glanced at te exhausted Neville. _'Normally, children at his age can only cast around 5 spells consequently. Depending on how taxing the casted spells are, the number could vary between 3 and 7 spells. Neville, however, has managed to cast 13 spells, of which one was a quite taxing Transfiguration Spell!'_

By all means, from this point of view, Neville was truly extraordinary for his age seeing as before the age of 15, the magical core was still in its childhood phase. Only after that age would the magical core start to rapidly grow and around the age of 17 gain its stability upon reaching its maturity. From that point onwards wizards and witches could be considered to have reached maturity as well: that's also one of the reasons why the wizarding world's laws recognized wizards and witches as adults starting with the age of 17 instead of 18 like the British Muggles.

However, the brightness of Neville' performance paled when compared to Harry's.

 _'He has casted the same number of spells and all of them without even saying the incantation!'_ Dumbledore exclaimed with no small amount of shock in his heart.

What kind of joke was that? Wizards normally begin to learn casting spells non-verbally only starting with the 6th year because there was a certain threshold that it was necessary to be reached: one needed to have a formidable power of concentration and a very strong intent. It was nearly impossible for a 12 year old boy to be this outstanding! If Dumbledore hadn't seen it with his own eyes he wouldn't have believed it... but Dumbledore had some vague suspicions that Harry's outstanding capabilities were some way or another linked to the entity residing in him. That was the only plausible explanation that Dumbledore could think of.

And Dumbledore wouldn't be too far off the target in his assumptions. True, Harry was indeed extraordinary, but even with all his talent in magic, he wouldn't normally be able to cast spells nonverbally since it took an almost double amount of focus and magic power to do so. It was the Gorgoneion that enhanced Harry's mental capability to the necessary level.

"Let's see..." Dumbledore began as he looked at Neville who was trying to lift himself in a seating position resembling a human not a pregnant sow.

"For your Charms spell-work you get an E. Same goes for DADA. You need to put some more work into Transfiguration though... Surpsinsigly though, you performed much better than you did in the exams from last week." Dumbledore said and an arrogant and self-complacent smile made its way on Neville's face.

Dumbledore waved his wand and out of thin air a few pieces of paper appeared in his hands. Then, seemingly forgetting that he had not evaluated Harry's spell-work Dumbledore said:

"This is a list of spells that I have compiled for the two of you. More than half of them exceed the 2nd and respectively the 3rd school year, but that is of no importance since with your capabilities- ...yes, Neville?" the old wizard stopped and then asked Neville who had his right hand raised up in the air.

"Um, professor, you forgot to evaluate Potter."

Dumbledore's mouth curled into a smile. He had been one hundred percent certain that Neville wouldn't be able to stop himself from pointing that out to him.

 _'This fatass is either ridiculously stupid or ridiculously arrogant. Now, like seriously, just how much of an idiot one must be to not realize that I'm in a league of my own when compared to him?'_ Harry sneered while shaking his head.

"Oh, but I have not forgotten, my boy." Dumbledore said with a smile. "Did you notice the way Harry casted the spells?"

"Yes!" Neville exclaimed very enthusiastic about pointing out the 'glaring' mistakes Harry had made. "He did horrible: he didn't say any of the incantations and he didn't even make the correct wand movements! No, in fact he didn't make any wand movements at all!"

At that Harry burst into laughter.

"Retard!" Harry said and sniggered, not caring that Dumbledore heard him cussing another student.

To be fair though, after what kind of things the old wizard had seen him doing, that was the last thing Harry would worry about. However, in Neville's eyes Harry was a dead man. He thought that Harry was screwed for talking like that in front of Dumbledore. But when he saw the former headmaster ignoring Harry's language, he was bewildered. However, when Dumbledore even let out a few chuckles, Neville's bewilderment transformed into anger.

"You see, my boy," Dumbledore said apparently oblivious to Neville's fluctuating emotions "what Harry did was a highly advanced form of casting magic... In the 6th year of schooling you will also start to learn how to cast spells nonverbally. However, most students struggle till the middle of the 7th year before they manage to cast all the spells without saying the incantation out loud first."

Neville's jaw figuratively fell to the floor at Dumbledore's words.

"As for the lack of wand-movements...to ignore the wand movements is even harder than casting spells nonverbally. In fact even I was not that skilled at magic when I was his age..." Dumbledore said and he sighed wistfully "Harry is a only-once-in-a-thousand-years-seen kind of talent... yes, his talent is beyond astonishing."

"But besides that, the amount of effort he puts into studying is also similarly great: as you may be aware, Harry here and Ms. Granger Hermione from the Hufflepuff are the ones that have obtained the greatest results in the entire school."

"Therefore, as you can see now, Harry's astounding capabilities are in fact the result of the combination between both his great talent and painstaking hard-work."

Dumbledore purposely glorified Harry's capabilities in front of Neville. But to be fair he really thought that about Harry. His words were not lies, Harry truly was more skilled in magic than he was when he was 12.

What Dumbledore did could be considered a double-edged sword because there were be two ways in which Neville could react: he could either get discouraged by the immense disparity between him and Harry...or he could grit his teeth and work himself to exhaustion till he reached his level.

Dumbledore's wisdom was not to be belittled though. He perfectly understood Neville's character and he knew that this was the only way to rouse Neville's ambition: from a frail age Neville has been told by most people that he was a hero, that he was the best. His shallow performance at school was only attributed to his lack of interest, to the fact that he didn't put in enough effort. Dumbledore knew that the only way to wake up Neville from the lethargy his comfortable life induced him in was to hit him with the harsh truth and to hit him hard.

As above mentioned, there were two ways in which Neville could react... but fortunately, what normally hindered Neville's evolution (his arrogance) was now having a positive effect for once. Neville really had been shaken up by Dumbledore's revelations... But clearly aware of Neville's internal struggle, Dumbledore added:

"Your talent is not bad either... not at all. And your abilities could even be considered to be a cut above the average. However, between 'a cut above the average' and 'once in a thousand years seen genius' there is a distance as enormous as that between Heaven and Earth."

"Talent does not mean everything when it comes to magic, my boy. Hard work is similarly important. If the talent was considered a chocolate frog, then the card work could be considered the card within it." Dumbledore finished and chuckled at the peculiar analogy he had made.

Dumbledore's words humbled Neville greatly nd he understood the underlying meaning behind them... But at the same time a desire to best Harry was suddenly ignited into his heart. If now Harry seemed to be like an insurmountable mountain that pierced the skies then Neville could be compared with the reckless and passionate alpinist that was willing to conquer its tallest peak even at the risk of his own life. That's how great the passion that overflowed Neville's heart was.

 _Scene break_

"Now remember, when the Boggart changes its form you have to snap out of it! What the incantation again, class?" Sirius asked.

"Riddikulus!" both the Gryffindors and the Slytherins chorused.

"Haha, very well, very well!" Sirius exclaimed and beam at them.

"Now, can someone tell me which is the procedure to cast the Boggart-Banishing Spell?"

A forest of hands immediately was raised up in the air and Sirius randomly chose one.

"Yes, Ms. Bell?"

Katie Bell, a third year Gryffindor all of a sudden blushed at being chosen by Sirius, but she answered unwaveringly:

"The Boggart normally assumes the form it thinks that it scares us the most. Therefore, before attempting to cast the spell we need first to know which is our greatest fear. After that, before saying the incantation we have to picture our greatest fear in a funny manner. If we can even laugh at it, the Boggart will surely be banished."

"Very well, Ms. Bell! 5 points to Gryffindor thanks to your complete answer!" Sirius said and the brunette's face glowed at his praise.

It was now Thursday and starting with 3:30 pm Slytherins and Gryffindors had Defence Against the Dark Arts. What was the one of the most surprising things was that there were only two classes in which there seemed to be no rivalry whatsoever between the Gryffindor and Slytherin students: Potions - Horace Slughorn was a truly capable and impartial individual. Moreover, he did not condone meaningless banter and aggressive rivalry between students. And the second was Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Probably if it had been the Sirius from before meeting Harry the one teaching, he would have not been able to maintain a fair behaviour towards the Slytherin House given his past. But now, after meeting Harry, Sirius felt forced to change his attitude. He still believed that most Slytherins were up to no good, but hating them all would be no different than admitting that he also hates his own godson. It may seem weird but that was the way Sirius' mind worked. Therefore, since Sirius was willing to be an impartial teacher and thanks to his natural charisma and great knowledge in the field, the class of DADA had become most students' favourite one. When entering the DADA class it was as if it didn't matter whether one was in Slytherin or in Gryffindor. There was a relaxing and jovial mood all the time and Sirius just knew how to keep his students very interested. After barely three weeks of school Sirius already managed to win their hearts over. Nowadays not even lazy students like Ron Weasley complained about Sirius giving them homework because the way Sirius presented the new content made them _want_ to learn out of curiosity not obligation.

One by one students went forward and the Boggart morphed in various forms, depending on what the student standing the closest to it feared the most. It morphed into a mummy, then into dragon, then into large acromantula... but the most interesting was when it was the turn of a 3rd year Slytherin boy to banish the Boggart.

When Adrian Maroon stepped forward and faced the Boggart, it suddenly changed its form into something that elicited shocked gasps not only from Sirius but from everyone that was not aware of what had happened before to cause that... It had the form of a slightly scrawny boy with tanned skin and raven black messy hair. His heterochromatic green and silver eyes glowed eerily and there was a malicious smile on his face. The form the Boggart had assumed was none other than that of Harry Potter!

"R- r - riddikulus!" Adrian weekly tried to say but then a three-eyed and pitch black massive snake snuck out from the Boggart-Harry's sleeve and opened its large jaws, showing off its dagger-like poisonous fangs.

Adrian backed away and fell to the floor on his butt with his face as pale as a sheet

* * *

AN: If you want to see again Harry's schedule you can look it up in Chapter 25. Also, whenever you see any mistakes you can freely tell me about them through either a review or a PM. I'm always open to constructive critism


	31. Chapter 31 - At Mahoutokoro

AN: Here's the new chapter and it's longer than usual. Enjoy!

Those of my readers that are also fans of the anime Naruto please vote on the poll on my profile.

AN2: As you all know, Mahoutokoro's uniforms are special. They change their size as the wearer grows up and they also change their colour according to the academic results of the student: starting from Pink - Red - Orange - Yellow.  
But I'm not planning on torturing the male characters there by making them wear pink/orange/yellow suits... who tf wears these atrocious colours at suits on a daily basis in official situations? I certainly would not. I honestly wonder what did Rowling smoke before making this stuff up.

 _ **EDIT: I have corrected the dates - it was the 3rd week of September not October seeing as school started 3 weeks ago. Sorry for the inconvenience :)**_

[Hello] - Japanese language

 _[Hello] -_ thoughts in the Japanse language

Lilith's thoughts are obviously in the Greek language

(Still no active beta, sorry for any mistakes I may have made. If there's anyone that wants to be my beta, PM me)

* * *

 **Chapter 31 - At Mahoutokoro**

[Haa~] the voice of girl sighing broke the silence in reading room of the library making other students turn their heads at her. But when they saw the golden-yellow blazer she wore they chose to not comment on it. After all, for one to be allowed to wear a golden blazer and a tiara or a golden cloak (for male students), she/he had to have gotten maximum grades to all the subjects! Such a feat was normally never accomplished by more than 5 students in the entire school. Hence, the individuals that managed to do it were greatly respected by the other students, regardless of their age, race or social standing. At Mahoutokoro wizards didn't care about whether one was a Half-blood or a Muggleborn; they didn't care about whether one was a half-Goblin or even a half-Giant. They only cared about one's capabilities and their pursuit was knowledge. Although it would be a generalization, if the students of Mahoutokoro were to enrol at Hogwarts then most of them would be sorted into the Ravenclaw house.

 _'It's been three weeks already since I started at Mahoutokoro, why hasn't that idiot sent even a letter?'_ the white-haired girl whined in her thoughts in annoyance. She gathered her things in her backpack and left the library. She was in no mood to study anymore. After living for almost an entire year with the one who saved her life, Lilith's feelings for Harry have grown even more. Right now they were not just a simply crush anymore. Why couldn't he see that and return her feelings?

 _Scene break_

Mahoutokoro was built in Minami Iwo Jima, a relatively small island located at over 800 miles South of Tokyo, in the middle of the ocean. Hence, although it was Japanese territory, due to the large distance from the main Archipelago, the climate of the island was very similar to the one in the Argyris Archipelago. Lilith had no problems whatsoever with it.

The end of September was approaching fast, but the weather was as warm as ever on the island. If a Muggle were to look at the island from afar or if he were to study satellite photos of the island he would only see a barren island with no rivers, no animals, not even trees. The only particularity would be the weird small mountain whose peak seemed to have been cut off, there being now instead a plateau.

However, that would be far from truth! On the plateau at the top of the mountain a very large fairy tale-like pagoda with 9 floors dominated the entire island. Its large roofs were green and the walls of the building were made of nephrite, a white couloured type of jade. A beautiful park of Sakura trees surrounded the pagoda and from the mountain top to the base a magnificent stairway connected the palace with the rest of the island...

With her bag on her back, Lilith was climbing down the stairway all the while having a disgruntled expression on her face. It was already the Friday of the 3rd week of September...and on Sunday she was going to become 13 years old. She thought at first that this birthday was going to be brilliant and she had really been looking forward to what present Harry was going to gift her. But nearly three weeks have passed since the beginning of the school and he has not sent her even a letter. What were the chances he would send her a gift?

 _'He probably doesn't even remember when it's my birthday. That prick!'_

As she walked down the stone stairway someone suddenly jumped on Lilith's back making her nearly fall down.

[Are you out of your mind, Hanabi?] Lilith shouted in Japanese when she got a hold of herself.

The one that jumped on Lilith was a rather short girl with shoulder-length black hair and a very lively expression. She was the type of girl that you'd be hard pressed to see without a smile on her face.

Despite Lilith's shouts, Hanabi acted as if he didn't even hear her.

[What's with the long face?] she asked.

[Hmpf!] Lilith snorted and continued to walk, trying to ignore her.

[Alright, alright, I apologise! But no, seriously, it should be illegal for someone like you to be sad!] Hanabi said and pouted at Lilith like a petulant child despite actually being her senior in terms of age. (1)

[I mean look, you're a freaking genius! Besides you, only the blazer and the cloaks of the Head Boy, the Head Girl and of that annoying Astronomy genius from the 5th year have turned yellow!]

[And not just that...just... just look at you! Your hair is so long and sooo silky. And it's a natural white! You have baby blue eyes, you're tall...and even your breasts are huge compared to mine!] Hanabi said with a blushing face while gesticulating wildy and making groping motions with her fingers in the air.

[If I didn't know you had a boyfriend, I'd jump on you myself!] Hanabi said and giggled perversely but was interrupted by a flushed red Lilith's shout:

[He's not my boyfriend! We're not like that! He... he hasn't even sent me a letter after all this time!]

[Hoo~ so that's what the long face was for~. Poor Lilith-chan feels down cuz her boyfriend ignored her~] Hanabi said teasingly before closing the distance between her and Lilith and telling her in a conspiratorial voice: [Is he perhaps cheating on you?]

[Shut up, idiot!] Lilith yelled and Hanabi burst into laughter.

As they kept bantering, the two girls finally finished climbing down the stairway and arrived at the foot of the mountain.

The island could be divided in two parts: the mountain and the plains. On the mountain, as mentiononed before, there was the majestic pagoda and the beautiful park of sakura trees. The pagoda palace had 9 floors and a basement with each one of them having a particular use: the large basement was used a Potions laboratory, on the ground floor were the classrooms used by the children attending the day school (those with the ages between seven and eleven), on the floors from 1 to 7 were the classrooms used by the boarding students (with 1st years being on the first floor, 2nd years on the second floor and so on) and at the top floor were located the teachers and the headmaster's offices.

A paved road with evergreen oaks planted on each side of it started from the foot of the mountain and connected it with the rest of the facilities of the school. The nearest from the mountain were the Herbology greenhouses, after which there was another recreational park that even had a pond with golden koi fish in it. Near the park were located two compounds that had been built in the Japanese style, each one of them serving as dorms for the boys and girls attending Mahoutokoro. Lastly, close to the shore there was the Quidditch pitch.

As Lilith and Hanabi walked, they passed by the Herbology greenhouses and arrived at the park with the pond. Lilith put her backpack on one of the closest benches to the pond and took a seat with the elegance befitting a member of the respected pureblood Argyris family.

In comparison, Hanabi simply threw herself to the ground and laid on the grass as if she were in her own bed.

[You have no sense of modesty whatsoever, do you?] Lilith asked and her silvery eyebrow twitched in annoyance again.

Hanabi was stretching on the ground like cat, completely uncaring that her panties were easily visible from under her shorter than regulations said black skirt. And being the only park with a pond on the island, she and Lilith were not the only ones relaxing there. There also were quite a few guys nearby who were fooling around by making "mecha robots" made of twigs battle each other. And of course, like any other healthy boys at their age, they also snook more than a few glances at the nearby girls.

[Tsk. Even if I were to get naked right here and right now, the guys would still probably ogle at you instead of me.] Hanabi said half-jokingly, half-seriously.

And indeed, everyone around them and even some girls were making candy eyes at Lilith. In fact some boys were blatantly staring at her with no feeling of shame at all. Hanabi lifted herself in a seating position and told Lilith in a lower voice:

[Have you noticed how many guys have started to wear certain badges as of late?]

Lilith looked at her condescendingly and Hanabi could help getting frustrated:

[Oh, I forgot, Miss World Lilith Argyris doesn't look at any random guys around her...she has her own stud at her own-]

But Hanabi suddenly choked with her words when a Stinging Hex nearly caught her in the thigh. Instead of anger, however, there was an expression of mirth on her face.

[Anyway] Hanabi continued as if Lilith didn't just tried to hex her [do you know what those badges stand for?]

[I don't really care.] said Lilith but Hanabi once again seemed to be both blind and deaf at Lilith's replies and continued on with her ramblings.

[They show their support towards a specific candidate. In fact, it's more like a tradition in this school for boys to make a poll. It is a highly secretive movement in the sense that although we know of it, no matter how many times the girls tried to unravel who was the one behind it, they never succeeded.]

Grinning smugly at the fact that Lilith's face betrayed her interest this time, Hanabi said:

[The poll has a clear objective; to determine who's the hottest girl in each year and then in the entire school.]

[I'm guessing that those horny dogs have unanimously voted for me?] Lilith said and her plump red lips curled into a condescending smile.

[You...!] Hanabi fumed. And to her further annoyance, she could simply not refute Lilith words because in her opinion if even Lilith didn't have the right to be arrogant about her looks, then nobody else on Earth had.

 _[When worn by Lilith, even this plain school uniform seems to transform into a chic and coquettish outfit.]_ Hanabi thought in envy.

The girls' uniform at Mahoutokoro consisted of a black plaid skirt, medium-length black socks, black shoes, a white shirt and a blazer which changed it's colour depending on the wearer's grades.

 _[Yet even in these clothes she's attracting everyone's gazes. And it's not that she's purposely wearing them in a slutty fashion. She's just too beautiful. Her body is perfectly proportional almost like a houglass, she's tall, she has long legs, her hair is so long and beautiful and her face is flawless...it would be impossible for to look bad even if she wanted.]_ Hanabi lamented.

If she were to compare Lilith's conduct with hers, Hanabi knew very well that she could be considered ten times "sluttier" than Lilith. Hanabi has never seen Lilith stay in an indecent position even in her own room let alone in public. She couldn't even imagine how would it look like for Lilith to stretch on the grass as lavishly ad the did moments ago. She has never seen Lilith using make-up or flirting with anyone. Lilith barely even interacted with other people besides her (Hanabi) and two other students.

In Hanabi's mind Lilith was the epitome of the so-called "Ojou-sama" type of girl: wealthy but not flaunting her wealth, beautiful to a fault, mild-mannered and always keeping a proper posture. It was only Hanabi that managed to get her out of her shell and make her express other emotions besides indifference. Worth mentioning is also the fact that not unlike Harry, Hanabi also had that particular talent of managing to annoy Lilith even without speaking a word.

Yet despite having these praising thoughts about Lilith, Hanabi couldn't help herself. She reeealy loved to tease Lilith and see her porcelain doll-like face scrunching into an annoyed expression.

[Che! Don't count your chickens before they hatch.] Hanabi said and showed Lilith her tongue.

[Oh? Just who could possibly be as beautiful as I am?] Lilith asked rather curious.

[Hee~ feeling threatened already?]

[As if! You're probably talking about Akane-san, are you not?]

Akane was a half-kitsune, half-human girl in the 5th year. And indeed, Akane was known by the entire school for her beauty. But if one were to compare Lilith with a cold, pure beauty, then Akane would be considered a temptress. Unlike Lilith she was very sociable and she loved to "innocently" flirt with everyone around her.

[Well, it's true, she's beautiful.] Lilith admitted [But even Akane-san herself told me when we first met that she's still not quite there - I'm still a level above her. Heh.]

[Gahh! Would it hurt you to not be so vain for at least 5 minutes?] Hanabi yelled exasperated and began to pinch Lilith's cheeks making them become red.

[Gerroff me, pervert!]

[Kyaa, sooo soft!]

 _Scene break_

Fifteen minutes later, under the watch of a magically conjured german shepard dog and in a dogeza position with her forehead touching the grass, Hanabi was prostating herself in front of Lilith, begging for forgiveness.

[Promise you'll stop acting like such an obnoxious brat?]

[I DO! Just please don't change your mind about being my model!]

With her hands folded to her chest and with an "you brought this upon yourself" kind of exprssion on her face, Lilith reluctantly accepted her apology.

[Well, enough fooling around for now.] Lilith said eventually when she saw a large flock of birds approaching the island... and it wasn't an ordinary flock of birds...but a flock of giant storm petrels!

These gigantic birds were coming from North Iwa Jima an island at few tens of miles North of Mahoutokoro. The gigantic storm petrels were bred and raised on that island and then used as a means of transportation for the children attending the day school at Mahoutokoro (those under the age of 11). These magical creatures were extremely valuable seeing as they were gentle with humans, there never having been a case in which the bird attacked a wizard and the second but most important thing was that their flight speed could even rival Muggle airplanes! The gigantic storm petrels could easily around 1000 miles per hour! They were the fastest magical creatures ever recorded. (2)

Since it was already nearly 5 o'clock in the afternoon, the caretakers of the birds have brought them to Mahoutokoro to take the children and to transport them back to Tokyo. And differently from Hogwarts, the students at Mahoutokoro weren't as if they were imprisoned at school: as long as they had their parents' signed approval they were allowed to go out wherever they wanted in their weekends - that's why the number of storm petrels coming on Friday was always double compared to the rest of the week's days.

[Come, let's tell Akane-san and Akihiko-san to get ready. We leave in half an hour.] Lilith said. Since it was going to be her birthday on Sunday, Lilith decided to spend the entire weekend on a mini-trip to Tokyo.

Lilith's life at Mahoutokoro was by far much better than it had been at Hogwarts. Sure, given that she had only spent 2 months at Hogwarts there had not been anyone trying to make fun of her blood status, but even so, she was sure that at some point some Slytherin prick was going to do it. Yet, here at Mahoutokoro nobody cared about such trivial things. She was a full Veela, Akane was a half-Kitsune and the actual Head Girl had some Bakeneko blood running through her veins from her grandmother. And the thing was that unlike the rest of 11 ancient magical schools, Mahoutokoro had a very small number of students - in fact it was the smallest with only around 200 students. That meant that everyone knew about those who were different... yet none of the "half-breeds" or the magical creatures with "near-human intelligence" as a certain old woman dressed in a pink suit would say - none of them have ever suffered from being discriminated. At Mahoutokoro there was one thing that mattered the most - the academic results: if you were brilliant, you'd be looked up at like at a king. If your grades sucked you'd be treated like trash. However, that being the case, from the nearly 200 students attending Mahoutokoro Lilith only knew about one person whose cloak was pink (signifying the lowest academic results).

Lilith's blazer however was golden yellow-coloured. Not only was she hailed as being a part or the "Golden Quartet" which consisted of the ones whose cloak/blazer turned yellow, she had also managed to make more friends than ever: they were Akane (the half-kitsune girl), Akihiko (the 5th year astronomy genius whose cloak was golden) and the best friend of them all - Hanabi.

As Lilith and Hanabi headed towards the compound serving as the girls' dorms, a boy that seemed to be a 4th year student suddenly came in front of them.

His looks were not bad at all. Although his complexion was flushed and that there were obvious signs of nervousness on his face, that didn't change the fact that he was handsome. Tall and having a well built body for a Japanese guy, with a stylish hairstyle and dressed in a very elegant suit (he had already dressed up for leaving the school in that afternoon) - he was very good looking.

When he arrived in front of Lilith, he suddenly bowed at nearly 90 degrees and with his voice strangled by emotions he almost yelled:

[Argyris-san! I've been in love with you from the very first time I saw you! Please go out with me!]

Naturally, the three of them were not the only ones around; many other students were heading towards the dorms to change their attire for leaving the island during the weekend. That being said, his almost yelled confession attracted numerous looks...yet none of them treated the scene as an oddity.

[Hee~] Hanabi sighed to herself as she seemingly out of nowhere took out a notebook and began writing on it. [Which confession is this now? The twenty-seventh?] she said with a dry laugh.

However, as if Lilith didn't even hear the older boy's loud confession she brushed past him not bothering to at least give him a reply.

[What an arrogant bitch!]

[Tsk. She thinks she's the shit just because she a little pretty.]

[I swear I'll cut of that hair of hers someday!]

These and other similar things were the girls on the sidelines saying when they saw Lilith's arrogant attitude.

[I get it!] the boy who was soundlessly rejected suddenly shouted. [I get it you might not like me...but you can at least say something!] The boy shouted once again and because of the humiliation he felt, his hand went for his wand in anger.

But Lilith's reaction was lightning fast. She abruptly turned back and with a scary accuracy, she aimed her wand at the older boy casting her favourite spell:

"Incarcerous!"

Thin cords were shot from the tip of her ivory white wand the older boy collapsed on the floor entangled by ropes before he even had the chance to react.

[You want me to say something? What do you want me to say?] Lilith suddenly spoke but her voice held none of the sweetness it usually did.

[From the very first time someone confessed to me I told him that I already have someone I love. And by now I'm sure you all know that... yet despite knowing that I already have feelings for someone else, you lot still continue to bother me.]

[So why should I bother giving my attention to a trash like you?] Lilith asked venomously.

The surrounding students were taken aback at the vehemence in Lilith's voice. Sure, they knew that she was cold towards almost everyone most of the time, but it was the first time they have ever seen Lilith erupting like that.

[Trash? Do you even know who my father is?] The boy on the ground said with a livid face after having stopped struggling.

Lilith sneered in despise.

[That's exactly why you're trash. Having to rely on your father's position to get your way and to make yourself a name...yet you think you're worthy of even exchanging words with me? How laughable!]

[My uncle is the Greek Ministry of Magic. My grandfather is a wand-maker. Mom and dad are renowned scientists at an international level. My family is amongst the oldest pureblood families in Greece...and it's also amongst the wealthiest in the entire Europe. In fact we even own our own Archipelago of islands - the Argyris Archipelago...Just because I've never felt like flaunting my background in front of you all, that doesn't mean I don't have one.] Lilith said but there was no hint of pride in her voice. It was if she was merely stating some facts.

[This is the last time I'm going to speak civilly to the idiots that come to confess their so-called love to me. I already have someone I love...and I'm not that shallow as you may think to go after anyone when I already have someone else. Besides, none of you will ever be even half the man he was when he was just 11.]

[I know I'm incredibly beautiful no matter how vain it might sound coming from me. That's why I've been patient until now. But even Confucius himself would be filled with anger after having to go through the same bullshit for nearly 30 times.]

[Come at me again... the next time I'll reply directly with my wand. And trust me...my blazer's colour is not golden just for the show.]

 _Scene break_

From some distance away but still close enough two silhouettes were watching the scene as well, both sporting smiles on their faces. But the smiles on the two students were completely different.

One of them, a 15 year old girl, had an amused smile on her face and she was covering her mouth with one of her mouth as she giggled:

[Ara, ara, I've never seen Lilith-chan this angry before~]

Meanwhile the smile on the other one's face had a tinge a bitterness in it.

[If you hadn't realized it already, you should now...] the girl told the boy who was smiling bitterly. [She seems to be very taken after her special someone. You should simply move on, Akihiko.]

[Yeah, yeah, I get it.] Akihiko said and sighed. [But damn, she's simply too perfect to be real. A peerless beauty, a genius and if that wasn't enough, she's also extremely faithful! There's a bit of a problem with her arrogance going overboard sometimes... but even that only makes me want to make her mine even more.] Akihiko said in a dreamy voice.

[You're totally whipped after her! Ha ha] Akane laughed very amused at his expense.

[Oh shut it. You're a girl, you can't understand what boys feel when they see such perfect creatures like Lilith-chan, or even like you!]

[Since you have no chance with Lilith-chan you're shifting your attention towards me now?] Akane raised an elegant eyebrow as she asked.

[Don't bother trying to flirt with me, Akihiko. I'll never agree with being someone's second choice.] Akane said half seriously, half jokingly and Akihiko couldn't help letting out a self-deprecating laugh; he understood the meaning or her words.

And indeed, being a half-kitsune, not unlike Lilith, Akane was also very proud about her appearance: long and silky black hair, a heart-shaped face and a perfect complexion; she had an hourglass body, with curves much better developed than those of Lilith's - but that was a given considering she was 2 years older. However, the most brilliant feature of her were her blood red eyes with slit pupils - a testament of her bloodline, of being a half-kitsune and at the same time the reason why her parents named her Akane, a name which translated into English would mean "Brilliant Red".

Therefore although Akane acknowledged Lilith as being more beautiful than her, Akane did not felt inferior at all. Consequently, she would not settle with being someone's "last resort", used in the absence of something "better". Akane had her own pride.

[That guy must be one lucky bastard!] Akihiko grumbled with no small amount of envy in his voice when he thought at the one whom Lilith loved.

* * *

AN:

(1) Just in case you have forgotten, Lilith had skipped grades, she is in the 3rd year of school instead of being in the 2nd.

(2) The storm petrels are actual bird that exist in real life. The gigantic storm petrels are obviously...the gigantic wizarding counterpart.

Most things I wrote about Mahoutokoro are canon: it being a pagoda and having been built on Minami Iwo Jima, there being children attending the day school and the means of transportation being the above mentioned birds etc. You'd understand more about Mahoutokoro if you checked it out on either Wiki or Pottermore.

 **As usual, if you notice some mistakes feel free to point them out to me. Likewise, if you have any suggestions or if there are any things you don't like about my writing and think you could help me change/improve them let me know through a PM or a review (whatever is easier for you).**


	32. Chapter 32 - Friends

AN: As promised, the weekly chapter is out, enjoy!

The poll on my profile is now closed. Thanks for voting in it. I have posted the first chapter of the story which got the biggest number of votes. Check it out.

 **There is a new poll on my profile and it concerns this story, Gorgoneion. Please vote :)**

"Hello" - normal talk

 _"Hello" -_ Athena talking

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

[Hello] - Japanese language

(I don't have a beta, sorry for any mistakes I may have made. PM me if you're interested in helping with proofreading.)

* * *

 **Chapter 32 - Friends**

At one of the tables inside a pub in the Muggle Tokyo 4 teenagers and a young lady were discussing animatedly.

["None of you will ever be half the man he was at the age of 11" - now come on, tell us more details!] Akane, the red-eyed girl teased.

[Yes, yes, we want details!] Hanabi and the young lady which seemed to be her older sister chorused.

[Oh stop it you!] Lilith said bashfully and a tinge of red appeared in her cheeks.

[Well, since you don't want to, it looks like I have no choice...] the young lady said and sighed in fake sadness before she opened her purse and took out a newspaper...

[Where did get that from?] Lilith almost shouted when she saw the front page of the newspaper.

Completely ignoring Lilith's frantic reaction, the young lady put the copy of the Daily Prophet on the table, showing it to everyone.

[T-That's him?!]

The two girls and even Akihiko suddenly came to the centre of the table and stared full of curiosity at the newspaper.

There, on the first page, written with very large characters was the title "WHERE IS HARRY POTTER?". However, what attracted their gazes was not the title but the large moving picture that covered the entire upper part of the page.

A 12 feet tall mountain troll. It was a large magical creature even among its species. With a club weighing hundreds of pounds easily, the troll smashed towards the collapsed on the floor form of a purple-haired girl. Just as the enormous club was about to smash the girl to death, a slightly scrawny eleven year old boy with glowing silver eyes suddenly stepped forward and raised both of his hands up in the air.

A translucent blue dome of light appeared and despite how flimsy it looked, when the club hit the dome of light, the rebounding force was so powerful that it was flown out of the troll's gigantic hand, making the creature stagger backwards in pain.

[H-Holy crap!] Hanabi couldn't help swearing in disbelief.

Akane, similarly, had an expression of awe on her face and her blood red eyes were widened in amazement.

Akihiko himself was amazed as well. He was considered a genius in Mahoutokoro, one of the members of the so-called Golden Quartet. He was outstanding and no-one would think of saying otherwise...but at the sight of an eleven year old child fending off the troll in such a manner, even he felt forced to admit that he was lacking compared to him. Because at the age of 11 most children struggled with barely being able to Levitate a quill; yet that Harry Potter at that age had created a wandless and seemingly nonverbal Shielding Charm powerful enough to withstand a force of over 500 pounds.

[No wonder you're not interested in other guys and that you don't even spare them a glance!] Hanabi said still in awe.

At this point Lilith's face was boiling. That nearly crimson colour of her complexion was even more striking in contrast with her silvery white hair.

[And you know what's the even better part?] Hanabi's older sister (the young lady) asked with a devious smile.

[The purple-haired girl collapsed in there is actually our dear Lilith-chan~]

At her words Lilith dropped all the pretence and buried her face into her hands, not daring to look anyone in the eyes.

[So that's how it is! The damsel in distress has fallen in love with Prince Charming who saved her life? Aww..] Akane cooed.

It took quite a while for Lilith to regain her composure but when she did, she was immediately assaulted with questions by the three girls. In contrast to them, Akihiko was sullenly nursing a beer, visibly uninterested of their discussion. Although that seemed to be the case, he was listening to each one of the words Lilith and the other three girls said.

[Now I'm serious, we're not together or anything like that! I think he doesn't even look at me that way!] Lilith said and huffed in annoyance.

[Eeeeh? Who could possibly resist your charm?] Hanabi asked wide-eyed.

[Well...he's immune to a Veela's allure. Not even mom's allure affects him that much...and mom is an adult Veela and she's even more beautiful than I am.]

[Amazing!] both Hanabi and her sister, Yuri, said at the same time, though the two of them were amazed by different things: Yuri was amazed at Harry's willpower but Hanabi was amazed at the fact that Lilith said that Galatea, her mother, was more beautiful than her. Hanabi was having a hard time imagining someone being more beautiful than Lilith.

[But even without your allure, you're still the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.] Akihiko spoke for the first time since they entered that pub [Just how much of an idiot is he? Or is he a gay?]

Lilith threw him a dark look, clearly not impressed at his cheap attempt to flatter her. It was nice having a guy friend that didn't become like a dog in heat when he saw her, but on the other side Lilith was slowly starting to get fed up with Akihiko's attitude - he was always splashing with dirt other guys in order to make himself shine even brighter. Lilith knew that Akihiko was trying to woo her, but how could she possibly ever fall for someone with such a nasty personality? Although Akihiko seemed like a nice guy who liked to joke around, Lilith was aware of his true colours.

[Aww, come on, Lilith-chan, you know I'm right. What kind of guy in his right mind could possibly not like you?] Akihiko said trying to save his face. He realized that he wasn't going to be seen any better by insulting a girl's crush.

[He sounds like an interesting guy. Tell us more about him...how would you describe him in a few words?] Akane said as if she didn't hear Akihiko's words and there was a glint of excitement in her slit red eyes.

Lilith listened to Akane's question and actually thought about it seriously.

[How would I describe him? Umm...Independent, very intelligent and... dangerous.]

[Dangerous?] Yuri asked with a laugh.

Contrary to Yuri's laughter, Lilith had a dead serious expression on her face.

[No, you don't understand.] Lilith said and shook her head. [He really is dangerous. The most dangerous person I have ever met until now in my life.]

Although Harry has lived in the same house as her, Lilith was not deluded in regards to Harry's true nature. She had still not forgotten that Harry most likely had had a hand in Marcus Flint's death...and the incident that made her break in cold sweat every time she thought about it was the one from the evening of the day when Hogwarts was closed. She could still recall perfectly how Harry had brought the silver knife to his own throat and even cut into the skin of his neck without any hesitation whatsoever. No ordinary man would have the guts to go to that extent, to even be willing to throw away his life in order to achieve his purpose - this type of people would even step on dead bodies to get their way. And in Lilith's mind this kind of people was the most dangerous.

However, at Lilith's words Yuri just laughed. She was 20 years old, it was natural for her to not take seriously someone of Harry's and Lilith's age.

 _'Just how dangerous could a 12 year old brat be? Haha.'_

[However, I have a question.] Akihiko said again [If you were there collapsed, and if your friend was also there protecting you from the troll, then who took the picture...? To me this looks fishy, like a one of those tricks of the media to impress the masses.]

[Now that he pointed this out I want to hear the answer as well.] Akane said.

Lilith took her time and thought a bit about how much she should let them know.

[Well, I wasn't alone on the corridor back then. There was also one other guy, the son of the English Minister of Magic.]

[As for who took the picture...there wasn't anyone with a camera right then. And even if there was, just what kind of person would take pictures instead of helping someone who's on the point of getting brutally killed?]

[Then..?] Hanabi asked impatiently.

[You see, one of the teachers at Hogwarts had an obsession with getting Harry to become some sort of disciple of his...and Harry obviously had none of it. In fact, Harry was planning on transferring from Hogwarts to another magical school, specifically to get away from him. Seeing that Harry managed to get away from him and that he disappeared for months, that professor did the only thing that he could do...] Lilith trailed off, eliciting a groan of impatience from Hanabi who was urging her to get on with the story.

[In the end he went to the Minister's son and asked him for his memory of the troll incident. I forgot to tell you that said teacher actually owns one of those super rare Pensieves... don't ask me how in the world did he manage to make the memory into a picture or what kind of spell he used. Not even mom and dad have an explanation for it and such a thing is in fact in their field of research.]

[The next step was that that professor bribed one of the infamous reporters of the Daily Prophet and told her to write this article...as you can probably guess, the article was a huge success. In that day Daily Prophet registered the largest profit in a day in the last decade. Suffice to say that the masses were greatly touched by Harry's actions and since the article portrayed him as a poor and homeless child, they all demanded from the Minister to do something about the situation and to hurry up with the reforms at Hogwarts so the Hero could be given the best living conditions and the best education possible.]

The teacher Lilith had talked about was obviously Dumbledore, but she had chosen to not say his name because Dumbledore was a wizard known worldwide, he was the Supreme Mugwump of ICW. No-one would believe her words if she were to say the truth about him and there would also be unnecessary complications if words were to go around about she had said. After all, as a member of the Argyris family, even Lilith's words could cause all kinds of problems; that because the Argyris family's statute was not as simple as it seemed at the first glance. And certainly mot as simple as Harry believed it to be. Because of that Lilith decided that it was better to speak cautiously even if the ones listening were her friends.

There was a moment of silence but it was quickly broken by Akihiko who blurted out before he could stop himself.

[Could it be that the professor has a fetish for shota?] (1)

Lilith has been drinking some Pepsi from a glass but when she heard Akihiko's words she burst into laughter and choked with the drink. The rest of the girls weren't any better either as they all burst into an uncontrollable laughter.

 _Scene break_

 _Veela race's origin is shrouded in mystery. Some say that Veela are the products of the union between humans and the mythical nymphs of the forests... Others say that after being tricked by the goddess Hera, the Sirens entered a singing contest against the Muses and that after losing it, the Muses plucked all of the Sirens' feathers, leaving them naked, thus resulting the Veela race._

 _According to other myths anyone that heard a Siren's song would be charmed by her and then killed. But if the victim escaped from her clutches alive then the Siren was fated to die. In Homer's Odyssey, Ulysses was curious as to what the Sirens would sing to him, and so, on the advice of Circe, he made all of his sailors plug their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast of his ship so he could hear the Sirens' song without being able to do anything foolish. In the end Ulysses got out alive and because of that the Sirens had thrown themselves into the sea. However, goddess Athena who was guiding Ulysses took pity on the Sirens and offered them to continue living like humans, in bodies similar to theirs in exchange for their unaging bodies._

"What is the real truth about their origins, Athena?" Harry lifted his eyes from the old book he had gotten from Helen and asked curiously.

 _"What do you think? Do you think I'd take pity on sentient creatures that prey on humans?"_

"Err.."

At Harry's hesitation Athena huffed a little annoyed and said:

 _"Of course I wouldn't! The truth is in fact a combination of the first two myths. At some point the Sirens truly were tricked by Hera into competing in a singing contest against the Muses and lost. After being cursed to lose their feathers they couldn't prey on the humans any longer so they started living amongst them and bred with them. Veela race is a result of that cross-breeding between Sirens and humans."_

"So Veela's ancestors used to prey on humans? Holy shit!" Harry couldn't help cussing.

Harry then turned his attention back to the ancient-looking tome on his lap and continued to read it. He had learnt many things about Veela. Apparently most of them are very temperamental and when they happened to become enraged, they transformed into a form resembling a Siren - their faces grew beaks and scaly wings burst from their back. Harry was both apprehensive and looking forward to witness such a scene.

Harry also learnt that most Veela are also great gluttons. In the book it was said that in the past Sirens used to steal food from humans (among other things). Apparently Veela still have this gene from them. However, Harry has never really noticed Helen, Galatea or Lilith eating large amounts of food.

 _'Maybe their gluttony manifests through being very picky and eating only high-end quality dishes?'_ Harry thought and nodded to himself when he remembered his stay at the Argyris. _'That must be it. The food we had on the tables every day was indeed exquisite even compared to the banquets here, at Hogwarts.'_

According to the book, Veela were also very jealous and possessive in regards to the ones they loved, to the point where it could sometimes become an obsession. But they also had some good personality traits: they were very faithful and always sincere about their feelings with their partners.

Harry learned one more thing: having a Veela wife/lover was not something anyone could afford. The book affirmed that although not all the Veela girls were like that, the greater part of them loved jewellery immensely. They loved expensive things and luxury.

 _'Meh... I think this applies for every girl out there, not only for Veela. No, it does even for men. Just how many people would rather chose to live a modest life instead of one of luxury if given the chance? Less than 10%, of that I'm sure.'_ Harry said to himself and Athena made a 'hmm' of agreement.

At some point Athena interrupted Harry from reading.

 _"It's already 4 pm, Harry, you should get going if you want to get anything done in time. It's already Friday in the afternoon and Lilith's birthday is on Sunday. You need to hurry up a little."_

Harry obediently closed the book and put it back safely in his trunk. He didn't charmed it locked, he didn't even lock the door of his room when he left. That was because nobody would dare to barge into his room after what he did at the start of the year, three weeks ago.

Harry put on his coat and left the Slytherin Dungeon. He wanted to sneak out of Hogwarts for the duration of the weekend.

In his last serious discussion with Athena, she reprimanded because of his way of living, because of his extreme selfishness. Originally he thought that the fact that the Argyris took care of him and gave their best to offer him a warm, family-like environment was normal, a consequence of him saving their daughter's life. But after his discussion with Athena he realized that he had been truly inconsiderate. That he wasn't grateful enough. Three weeks have passed since the start of the school and he had yet to send them even a letter. It was nearly the end of September and until then Harry had completely ignored them.

But now Harry wanted to rectify his mistakes. And he was going to start with Lilith since her birthday was in two days. He wanted to make up for his previous bad attitude, to show them his gratitude because the Argyris truly deserved it after how well they treated him and how they gave their utmost to make him feel welcomed and even loved in their home. And all that for him, a thief, a rude and selfish punk.

While having these thoughts, Harry crossed the corridors of the castle quickly. He also exited the castle with no problems - it was only around 4 o'clock in the afternoon and at that time students were not forbidden from roaming the grounds of the school.

He was just about to leave Hogwarts's grounds when he was suddenly startled by a voice from behind him.

"And where do you think you're going, Harry?"

* * *

AN:

(1) For those who don't know what it means... it's the typical Japanese weirdness (no offense to the Japanese guys/girls that are acting like decent human beings)... Anyway, basically it's paedophilia, but Japanese people have two words for it - shotacon (about little boys) and lolicon (about little girls). How did I even get to hear about these terms myself? Well, once you watch anime, you'll never feel pure again. lol


	33. Chapter 33 - Unexpected Twist

AN: I have already posted the regular weekly chapter a few days ago...but today is my birthday (just became 22) so I thought it would be nice to make you a surprise with a new chapter (which is also longer than usual). Anyway, enjoy! :)

 **There is a new poll on my profile and it concerns this story, Gorgoneion. Please vote :)**

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

Many thanks to my new beta **Thundramon** for proofreading this chapter. (Any mistakes you might find are most likely my own faults seeing as I modified some things after receiving the proofread chapter)

* * *

 **Chapter 33 – Unexpected Twist**

"And where do you think you're going, Harry?"

 _'Fuck! How the hell was I caught?'_ Harry thought as he turned his head towards Sirius, the owner of the voice.

"What now, Sirius? No, in fact what are you even doing here...you look like a perverted paedophile stalking someone of my age like that. If didn't know any better I'd..."

"Why you little...!" Sirius growled before saying the incantation in his mind;

 _'Levicorpus!'_

Harry was abruptly yanked from one of his ankles in the air and began to dangle with his head downwards.

"Fuck! Get me down, Sirius!" Harry yelled while Sirius was barking with laughter.

While still dangling upside down Harry pushed with both of his hands towards the ground and a formless wave of force was shot from his hands, propelling him upwards and breaking Sirius' spell on him.

 _'Hmpf! As if something like that would do me in!'_ Harry thought smugly. But when he realized that he was going to fall from a height of 12 feet in the air, almost thrice the height he was being levitated at first, all of his smugness disappeared. The problem was that he didn't think what would happen after freeing himself from Sirius' spell.

"Shit SHIT SHIT!" Harry began to yell he fell to the ground.

Just as Harry was about to impact with the ground hard, a red light came out of his Gorgoneion and wrapped itself around his body like a membrane.

A loud thud was heard when Harry slammed against the ground.

Sirius' face paled at the unexpected development and he hurriedly came towards the collapsed form of Harry. But in front of his disbelieving eyes, still wrapped in the red membrane of light Harry lifted himself to his feet unharmed but with a stormy expression on his face.

Before Sirius had the time to react, Harry took out his red wand and smiled maliciously. Since wands having a Veela's hair as their core were very temperamental, when the wand felt the intensity of Harry's emotions, it thrilled in excitement.

"Everte Statum!" Harry said. Although he could cast the spell nonverbally and even with no incantation at all, he wanted to do it this way to get the maximum results. (1)

An orange jet of light burst from Harry's wand and Sirius who had been caught unprepared was shot spinning through the air like a spinning top. When the spell was finally done with him, Sirius was thrown to the ground on his butt. He had a purple face due to nausea and he looked like he was going to puke any moment then. (2)

"Serves you right, asshole!" Harry said grinning. "But now really, how the heck did you know I was here this time?"

"Tsk. You expect me to tell you about my trump card? Dream on, punk!" Sirius said with a teasing look of disdain on his face...or at least that's what he had wanted his expression to look like. But because of his nausea it looked more like a grimace.

"Now you know it's against the school regulations to leave Hogwarts' premises. How could you just leave...without inviting me to come along?"

"Why would I even do that? It's none of your business what I do in my free time." Harry said in a tone as if he was provoking Sirius to say otherwise.

Sirius thought at first to put in front the "I'm your legal guardian" card but he was inspired enough to realize that that would only make Harry want to go against his wishes even more.

"Then how did you plan on getting to London?" Sirius asked.

"By flying on my broomstick."

"Oh, fun!" Sirius said sarcastically. "Especially if you happen to encounter a storm or fog. Not just that, it will take you hours till you arrive there."

"Your point is?"

"My point is that you'd be a total loser to go that way when you could be in London in less than 10 seconds if you were to let me Apparate you there."

"You'd do that for me?" Harry asked surprised.

Sirius winced at the underlying meaning behind the words - Harry didn't have any kind of expectations from Sirius, he was treating him almost like a stranger - but said nonetheless:

"Regardless of what you think, Harry, we're still family. You're like a son for me. Of course I'd help you! This much is not even worth mentioning."

 _Scene break_

"Bloody hell!" Harry exclaimed when he Apparated with Sirius to the middle of the Diagon Alley. He tried to make a few steps but he wobbled so dangerously that Sirius had to grab his shoulder to stabilize him.

"I know, it felt nasty for me as well when I first Apparated. But you get used to it after a few months." Sirius told Harry with sympathy.

Harry's face was as white a sheet and felt like he was about to throw up everything he had eaten that day.

 _"What would you do without me every day?"_ Athena suddenly said with a sigh. It was the second time that day when she had to save his ass.

' _I'd be dead meat.'_ Harry said with no intention to hide his real feelings from her.

 _"Well, at least you understand this much."_ Athena laughed and Harry felt him mood being lifted at the sound of her musical laughter.

' _No, I'm really grateful for your help. You're always saving my butt.'_ Harry said sincerely as he felt Athena's magic coming from the Gorgoneion and clearing up his muddled mind and eliminating his nausea. Not only that, just a few minutes before it was also Athena the one that conjured the red membrane of light and wrapped Harry in it so he wouldn't break his bones upon colliding with the ground.

"You alright, pup?" Sirius asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry." Harry said with a vigour that to Sirius it seemed to have come from nowhere.

"If you say so..."

"Anyway, what did you want to do here, on Diagon Alley?"

Harry thought for a bit before deciding to not hide the reason of his mini trip.

"I need to buy a gift for someone."

And then Harry began to walk purposely towards the jewellery shop from the Alley. But on the way there Sirius simply couldn't hold in his curiosity.

"Who are you buying the gift for?"

"That's none of your business." Harry snapped and for some reason he felt his face getting hot.

Seeing Harry's slightly flushed face Sirius smirked. That coupled with the fact that they stopped in front of a jewellery store gave Sirius a pretty good idea who is Harry buying it for.

"Heheheh. No need to tell me when it's that obvious."

Harry threw a murderous glare at Sirius but that only widened the already large grin on his godfather face as he said:

"Silvery-white long hair... baby-blue eyes, porcelain like skin, quite tall for her age, a supple body... a Veela... nearly 13 years old... Do I need to say more?" Sirius asked deviously but then he nearly had to make a backflip in order to avoid the Stinging Hex that had suddenly been shot from Harry's wand.

"Oops, it looks like I was dead on?" Sirius asked an increasingly more embarrassed Harry while doing nothing to hide the glee in his voice.

"My pup is growing up!" Sirius exclaimed and wiped two imaginary tears from his eyes.

Harry would have wanted to say something but he knew that giving into Sirius provocations would only make the man-child tease him harder. Therefore, when he spotted the jewellery shop he went in immediately.

The inside was rather spacious, at least much larger than the outward appearance of the shop suggested. The floor was made of expensive-looking white marble and to the front and the sides of the room there were long glass cases in which various pieces of jewellery were exposed. However, when he tried to get closer to them, he was stopped by an invisible wall at 2 feet away from there.

"The glass cases are protected by wards. It's best you keep your distance if you don't want a squad of Aurors to haul your arse to prison." Sirius advised and grabbed Harry's hand pulling him backwards.

As Harry looked at the jewellery, an increasingly deep frown marred his face.

 _'10,000 galleons for a pair of silver earrings? That equals 50,000 pounds! 70,000 for a diamond necklace...?! That's a bloody sum of 350,000 pounds! What the heck?! Fuck this, I'd rather cut off my right hand than waste so much money on this!'_ Harry said in his mind stunned at the outrageous prices.

One must remember that Harry was originally a cheapskate. Last year when he donated 5 galleons for St. Mungo in order to appease his guilty consciousness, he had a fit of rage at having wasted "so much" money for nothing. Imagine his shock just at the thought of spending 10,000 galleons on a pair of earrings.

And 10.000 galleons was indeed a very large sum of money. Harry's trust vault contained only around 70.000 galleons...it was truly unreasonable for him to spend such a large amount of money on something like this.

"Oi, Sirius, why the hell are these all so damn expensive?!" Harry couldn't help asking Sirius exasperated after he saw that he rest of the pieces of jewellery were even more expensive.

"Unlike the Muggle jewellery, the Wizarding jewellery is in a league of its own. Wizarding jewellery can't be stolen and it has various types of enchantments. Not few were the times when people escaped death by hair's breadth thanks the Shielding Charm incorporated into their ring or thanks to their bracelet having been set as an automatic portkey that bailed them out in case of mortal danger."

"That's...pretty damn brilliant!" Harry exclaimed.

But then his expression turned back into that of a frown...although the idea was brilliant, it was still way too expensive for him. Harry was rich...but that only considering the Potter family vault. And although his trust vault didn't have a small amount of money, that money had to last until he became 17 years old. If you did the calculations, he had a monthly allowance of around 970 galleons. It was indeed a large sum compared to ordinary people (converted into English Muggle currency it would be around 4800 pounds) but it was still far from having enough money for him to buy luxury goods.

"What's with the face?" Sirius laughed. "Don't tell me you're not willing to buy her a present anymore..."

"You know," Sirius continued "Lilith is the kind of girl that actually deserves to be treated like a princess. Scratch that, she IS a princess."

"Yeah, princess my ass!" Harry laughed in derision.

"I swear, Harry, sometimes I'm not sure whether you're really stupid or if you're just pretending. If it's the latter, you're doing a damn brilliant job at it!"

"Screw you."

"Gah, is this how you talk to your godfather?!"

"Pffft. I don't see what's wrong with it. If you want to be treated like a godfather, act like one: stop stalking me like a paedophile every damn second at Hogwarts, stop transforming into Padfoot in order to look under 7th year girl's skirts - yeah, I saw you, don't fucking say you didn't do it haha! And stop making candy eyes at Irene who is young enough to actually be your daughter!"

At the end of Harry's verbal abuse, Sirius face looked extremely similar to that of a dog who was just disciplined by its master.

"Also," Harry continued with a wicked smile on his face. "Aren't godfathers supposed to give their godsons pocket money and always take care of all their needs?"

And that was the last drop that spilled the Sirius' glass of patience.

"Taking care of my godson's needs, huh? My godson is in need of a royal beating. And as the best godfather in the world I shall oblige!" Sirius laughed darkly and began to run after Harry who has long since escaped through the door and left the shop.

 _Scene break_

Sprawled on their backs in one of London's many parks Harry and Sirius were resting while trying to calm down their breathing.

"Huff... tired already, old man?" Harry wheezed.

"S-Shudap...as if you're any better!" Sirius barely said through the gasps.

When they came down from their high and their breathing stabilized Sirius said:

"I meant what I said, Harry. Lilith could really be considered a princess. You know that Black family is considered to be one of the oldest and most noble houses in England, right? Well, the Argyris family doesn't lose to the Blacks. No, in fact the Argyris House has a much higher status in Greece than Blacks have in England. They're almost considered royalty there... you can't just simply buy Lilith a cheap gift..."

He made a small pause before speaking with a serious expression on his face, a facial expression that seemed to not fit his face:

But even if Lilith weren't a princess, even if she were just a common witch...buying her some shit just to get over with it would very disrespectful of you. I know many people say that _'it's the gesture that matters, not the gift itself'_ but those people are in my opinion shallow people. It is the amount of effort, the price of your sacrifice that makes a gift valuable. At least that's how I see things."

"Let's put it this way: whom would you feel more affectionate to? To someone who for your birthday had gifted you some Chocolate Frogs or to someone who for your birthday had gifted you a personalized wristwatch made of gold, charmed to be unbreakable and built with the feature of never running out of battery seeing as it functions by leeching off your magic? Yes, I am, in fact, talking about your wristwatch...do you know just how damn expensive it is? Even with all the money in your trust vault you wouldn't afford it if you were to buy it with your money. Its value ranges between 80,000 - 100,000 galleons. And that's mostly because it's a prototype. I have never seen something functioning by leeching off on one's magic - and trust me, as someone from the Black family I have lived in luxury ever since I was born. This is top new technology created by Hector and Galatea... this kind of wristwatches cannot even be bought with money since they don't exist on the market in the first place..."

"Hector and Galatea put a great deal of effort into making this wristwatch for you. That shows clearly their dedication; just how much effort they put in to show their affection for you."

"Do you understand now what I'm talking about?"

Harry only nodded - there was a fierce battle going on inside of his head.

 _'B-But the cheapest shit there was already 50,000 pounds!'_ the stingy and selfish part of him said in a pained voice.

 _'Still, do you think it's not worth spending this much on her after how well her family treated you and after how much effort they put into taking care of you?'_ the other side _of his personality asked._

The stingy and selfish part of him was veeery tempted to say _'Yes, it's not worth it.'_ but even it was not that much of a bastard.

While his heart was crying a river and with trembling hands, Harry used a blood quill to sign a cheque for Gringotts and wrote the sum.

In the end Harry had settled for a Goblin-made bracelet of white gold since he thought that it would fit perfectly with Lilith's beautiful silvery-white hair. The bracelet was in the shape of a snake eating its own tail and had several special features to it: it was charmed to modify its size according to the wearer's, it had a Cooling Charm that lowered the body's temperature during the torrid days and it was also charmed as a portkey whose coordinates could be set only by a Ministry official.

The bracelet cost 25,000 galleons. In Harry's opinion it was outrageous. Even so, he stepped on his parsimony and bought it.

What Sirius didn't tell Harry though was that not all the pieces of wizarding jewellery were that expensive...it was just that Harry simply happened to go to one of the most expensive stores in England, with only high-end products. Sirius wanted to instil in Harry the thought that for someone dear there was no such thing as "too expensive" or "too much effort to be worth it", that being the case especially when he had the possibility give them the best.

Of course, Sirius was planning on giving Harry the money he spent on the bracelet back - it was indeed a little over the top for Harry to spend this much on a gift considering his finances - but Harry didn't need to know that yet. Sirius' intention was to get his point across.

 _Scene break_

After getting done with buying the present, Harry and Sirius went to the Ministry in order to set the coordinates for the bracelet's portkey feature. It was need for Harry to fish out a memory of the Argyris Archipelago and pour it into a Pensieve for the Ministry official to be able to set the portkey - something which also stripped another 1000 Galleons from Harry.

Compared to that exorbitant price, when Harry asked for a portkey to Japan, the price was of just 90 galleons.

"...why the hell is there such a huge difference between the two prices? Are you perhaps trying to scam me?" Harry asked with narrowed eyes while his hand went to his wand.

At Harry's reaction, the Ministry's man only smiled, finding it cute that a 12 year old child had the gall to silently threaten someone twice his age while being inside the Ministry of Magic... oh if only he knew what kind of crazy bastard Harry could be when certain buttons were pushed enough. He had actually attacked Dumbledore, the greatest wizard alive while being in Hogwarts, in his very office. If he had had the balls to do that, it goes without saying that wrecking an ordinary Ministry employee for trying to cheat him of money was not something that extraordinary for him. But as the saying goes, ignorance is bliss so the man only smiled and answered in a benevolent voice.

"The difference is made because it was needed for me to use this Pensieve. You may not know but it is very important when creating a portkey to have a very clear and detailed image of the place which you want to set the portkey for. Because of that it is impossible to make a portkey to a place where you have never been before."

"But there is a way around that - using a Pensieve to view the place from someone else's memory. However, as you're probably not aware of this thing either, I'm going to tell you that Pensieves are extremely rare and very valuable magical artefacts. You cannot find Pensieves to buy anywhere even if you had the money. The only way to get one is through participating at the yearly auction from Switzerland where only the rich purebloods are allowed to participate. They do accept some half-bloods as well, but they need to be recognized as being very rich and successful. But given the wealth of the participants at the yearly auction you should easily understand that even quills made out of a turkey's feathers could reach astronomical prices, let alone such an exceedingly rare magical artefact like the Pensieve."

Hearing the man's explanation, Harry shoulders sagged and he didn't have anything to say back anymore.

' _In the end the difference of prices was only because of the use of the Pensive.'_ Harry thought.

Although Harry was well-off right now, his instincts as a thief have never been completely extinguished so after hearing the Ministry employee's words a look of greed surfaced into his eyes. He was definitely going to steal one if he ever got the chance! But his mind cleared quickly; to steal such a magical artefact from the Ministry was pure idiocy. Harry was able to understand when something was doable and when it was not.

 _Scene break_

"Why did you buy the portkey for Japan? Are you planning on going straight to Mahoutokoro all by yourself?" Sirius asked curiously when they got out of the Ministry.

"Yeah, what's wrong with it?"

"There are many things wrong with it. First of all, you'll be missing from Hogwarts a few whole days and will be likely to be given detentions or even be expelled."

At those words Harry only threw a side-way glance at him and said with a voice that implied that it should have been obvious:

"And since when have I started caring about rules, Sirius? You probably forgot who you are talking to."

"As for expelling me? Even if I were to beat up someone in the middle of the Great Hall I wouldn't be expelled. Not only I'm considered by most people in Great Britain to be a hero, "a poor homeless child in need of affection" but I also obtained the highest grades in the entire school. It will need for there to be something wrong with their heads for them to even think about expelling such a brilliant student, don't you think so? Hahaha!" Harry said and laughed smugly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Sirius grumbled "But what would you do once you're there? You should let me tag along with you. You're in fact just a child."

"Again, your point is? I have fended off for myself amongst London's gangs ever since I was 8. You think that I can't handle something so trivial on my own?"

"You can't speak Japanese!" Sirius countered.

"Can you?" Harry shot back with a raised eyebrow.

Indeed, no matter how one looked at it, Harry simply didn't need someone to tag along with him. It would different if that someone knew the Japanese language but otherwise Harry didn't need anyone. He wasn't like the lost and timid children that would panic and start to cry at having strayed from their family in a supermarket. He was confident and decisive. He didn't need an adult to be with him just so he could feel "safe".

And although deep inside Sirius was aware of these things, his annoyance was not any smaller. He was starting to get really frustrated at Harry completely nullifying each one of his arguments because it proved him that Harry didn't want him to come along, that he didn't want to spend any more time than necessary with him. In the end Sirius tried one more time:

"The portkey was set to activate in three hours...instead of roaming the streets why don't you come to my place? There's food. Lots of it."

Harry's first intention had been to refuse but when he heard that there's food, his mind made a 180 degree turn.

 _Scene break_

 _The Ancestral House of the Black family may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London_

As soon as Harry finished reading the small note Sirius had handed to him, under his disbelieving eyes, a battered door emerged out of nowhere between numbers eleven and thirteen, followed swiftly by grey walls and large windows. It was like the scene from a Sci-Fi movie, it was as though an extra house had inflated, pushing those on either side out of its way. Harry gaped at it like a fish.

Seeing Harry's awed face, Sirius couldn't rein in the pride he felt and barked with laughter. But he didn't tarry on and stepped forward, touching the door with his hand.

Almost half a minute passed before the sound of a metallic locks and a chain moving was heard and the heavy door was opened. There, behind the battered door, a blond girl with a dishevelled appearance greeted them. Her waist-length hair was messy, she was dressed up in PJs and her face looked like she has just woken up from sleep. Her appearance suggested that she spent more than just a night there.

"What's this bitch doing at your place Sirius?" Harry suddenly asked with an edge in his voice.

 _'Oh crap!'_ Sirius thought.

Because of his desire to spend more time with his godson, Sirius had completely forgotten that someone was living at him...and that those specific persons didn't get along with Harry at all - the one who opened the door was none other than Antoinette Malfoy, Draco's older sister. Harry had been wondering where she had run to after not seeing her at Hogwarts for more than two weeks. Apparently she has been living at Sirius place ever since.

"I.. I think we should get inside first." Sirius suggested, trying to stop Antoinette and Harry from glaring at each other.

 _Scene break_

"So... you have actually ditched the Astronomy class today?" Sirius asked trying to make some light conversation.

And indeed, since it was Friday, Slytherins had had Astronomy with Ravenclaws from 3:00 to 4:15 am. However, Harry was in no mood to chat right then. He truly hated Malfoy and through association, his family as well.

"What's she doing here, Sirius? Don't tell me you really fell for that bullshit she spouted three weeks ago."

Sirius frowned at Harry words but said calmly after he drank a shot of Firewhisky.

"It wasn't bullshit. Dumbledore confirmed it. Voldemort had truly returned and Lucius really slithered away like the coward he is to save his skin, leaving his family to-"

Harry cut him off:

"So you're saying that just because of that reason you're letting them live with you in your house? The family of a Death Eater? Seriously?"

"Yes, I'm Sirius!" Sirius tried to crack a joke but Harry said bluntly.

"I'm not in the mood for your crappy jokes now, Sirius. Don't dance around the subject. What the fuck is that bitch doing here?"

But Sirius' temper flared at Harry repeatedly insulting Antoinette and shouted:

"And how is that any of your damn business in the end?"

Harry looked at him with disgust in his eyes as he said:

"I saw what Death Eaters did, Sirius. I saw a woman desperately pleading for her children to be spared while the Death Eaters made sex jokes about her. Those fuckers killed her. And they killed her two children as well afterwards. I saw other Death Eaters burning a family alive in their house...I saw others torturing their victims. Dumbledore showed me what kind of animals they are."

"Yet now you're housing the family of such a bloody bastard! Of a bastard like the ones that murdered my parents...my parents about whom you never miss a chance to tell me how great they were and how much you cared for..."

"What are you helping that whore for? Is she spreading her legs for you?" Harry asked clearly incensed

"Don't you talk like that to me brat!" Sirius shouted. "Don't you dare talk to me like you own me. I cared for James and Lily more than I did for my own life!"

He drowned one more shot of Firewhisky and said in a raspy voice.

"And unlike you, I actually give a crap about my family. Every time I talk to you about James and Lily you make that bored face and change the subject to anything else... I'm not a selfish bastard like you. I care for my relatives."

"Oh how noble of you! Back then you also didn't want to have anything to do with the Malfoy family... yet in just 3 weeks you became such a family-loving person! You fucking hypocrite!" Harry snarled.

"Don't you fucking talk like that to me!" Sirius roared and jumped to his feet while brandishing his wand towards Harry.

"What? What are you going to curse me for telling the truth? That you're a hypocrite? That it's like your mind left you after tasting her pussy? Did she fuck your brains out? Fucking cunt whoring around for-"

But Harry didn't get to finish his words.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Sirius roared in rage and a red bolt of light shot from his wand into Harry's chest, slamming him into the wall of the kitchen.

At Sirius' roar Antoinette hurriedly came down the stairs to the kitchen but when she entered the door she stopped in her tracks and gasped horrified at the sight in front of her.

The large table was split into smithereens and at the side of the kitchen was Harry collapsed on the floor with blood flowing like a river from the back of his head after he was slammed into the wall.

Sirius similarly was petrified at what he had done and he was shaking so hard that the wand fell off from his hands and he collapsed on his knees.

"W-What... W-What have I done!"

* * *

 **AN** : Don't interpret this chapter as me bashing Sirius. I love Sirius to a fault, he's one of the best characters in the entire series. This incident will have a very important weight in Sirius' character development and in the way the plot advances from now on (you'll understand this later on).

(1) To visualize the effect of the spell, Check out the scene where Harry and Draco "duel" each other in the 2nd year at the Duelling Club on Youtube. 'Everte Statum' was the spell used by Draco.

(2) It has been brought to my attention by one of my readers that it confused him the terms "casting spells nonverbally" and "casting without an incantation".

Casting nonverbally = Harry doesn't say the incantation of the spell out loud but in his thoughts.

Casting without an incantation means no incantation at all, not even in his thoughts. He simply wills his magic to do something. An example would be in the scene with the Marcus Flint and the Cerberus where Harry tried to open the door using Alohomora but he couldn't cast the charm. After that he banged the door with his fists and shouted for it open, which it did.

Casting without an incantation is just like the accidental magic...only that in Harry's case it isn't accidental. He can do it on purpose. I hope it cleared up any misunderstandings you might have had.


	34. Chapter 34 - We're Strangers

AN: Here's the new chapter for this week, but before I'd like you to read this rather long Author's note. I feel like there's a need for me to explanation something.

Some of my readers have asked me 'why did Harry just jump to attack Dumbledore without hearing him out?'. Or more recently, 'why does Harry hate Antoinette since it is not fair to condemn the child for the parents' sin'. That is true.

However, I've tried so far to make Harry's character look realistic, to make him human in this fic. In almost all the fics I have read until now Harry always knew 'the right thing to do'. He always made the right choice, he always had a perfect vision about life and other things. Harry never made any wrong steps; he was the ultimate politician and so on.

Well, 'my' version of Harry is not like that.

Harry is just a 12 year old boy. Try to remember how you used to act at that age. I remember that when I was 12, I hated gypsies simply because most people around me hated them (it's a thing in my country). I didn't question it too much. My friends did it, teachers at school did it, even priests did it... It was only after I grew up a little more that I realized that there are both decent & horrible individuals amongst them like in every other race.

Back to the matter at hand, you would have a much easier time and you'd enjoy this story even more if you stopped comparing this Harry with the mainstream version of Harry that you find in most fics. I think most of you have noticed by now (or at least should have) that this fic is quite different from most fics. Whether you think this is good or bad, it is all up to you.

'My' Harry's character undergoes an evolution at a credible pace and he is slowly understanding what truly is morally right and what is not, just like a normal person's character. And just like a normal human he will do stupid thingsonce in a while. Sometimes probably he'll overreact. Maybe sometimes his mind will be clouded by emotions and he'll act rashly. It won't happen all the time, but it will. Harry is a human. He is bound to make mistakes.

(And just in case you have forgotten, even in canon, Harry wanted to be sorted everywhere but in Slytherin because he assumed that everyone in there was just as much of an asshole like Draco was. Only years later did he change his point of view.)

"Hello" – Normal Speech

 _"Hello" -_ Athena talking

 _'Hello'_ – Thoughts

 _§Hello§_ – Parseltongue

Many thanks to my beta, **Thundramon** for proofreading this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 34 - "We're Strangers"**

Sirius was immediately petrified at what he had done and he was shaking so hard that the wand fell off from his hands and he collapsed on his knees.

"W-What... W-What have I done!"

All of a sudden the floor began to vibrate. Then the chairs and the furniture also began to shake and small cracks began to appear across the kitchen's walls. Following that, with blood still flowing down from the back of his head, the previously thought dead Harry Potter rose up to his feet. A livid expression was on his face and the silver in his right eye glowed so brightly that it was as though it was about to explode from the sheer amount of magic it contained.

"YOU TRIED TO KILL ME?" Harry screamed and he stomped his foot on the floor making it explode into rubble before plunging towards an unprotected Sirius.

Sirius backed away until he hit the wall behind him but there was nowhere else to go. But just before Harry reached him, Sirius found himself covered by someone else's body.

With magic enforcing him and amplifying his body to the extreme, Harry plunged towards Sirius in rage. Right before reaching him, someone suddenly jumped in front of him with her body covering Sirius in an attempt to protect him...

It was Antoinette!

...but Harry had already jumped and his right fist, encased in a force field-like energy, had already taken the swing. If the fist were to hit the girl in that moment, it would pierce through her body like a knife does through tofu. And Harry couldn't change the swing's trajectory anymore.

Right when his fist was about to pierce through Antoinette, Harry felt himself losing control over the right part of his body and he stumbled, his right hand slamming into the wall behind Sirius. With a loud explosion the wall was shattered and Sirius and Antoinette barely had the time to protect themselves from the debris.

 _"Calm yourself Harry!"_ Athena said sternly - she was the one who had made Harry lose control over the right part of his body and miss the hit.

Harry was so enraged that he didn't even think of trying to hide the fact that someone lived inside his consciousness.

"CALM MYSELF? THIS FUCKER WANTED TO KILL ME!" Harry screamed in rage and ignoring Athena he hissed in anger, his voice sounding more like an ear-piercing whistle.

 _§Serpensortia!§_

A familiar gigantic and sinuous silhouette began to slowly take shape. Harry was trying to summon the large serpent with which he had subdued Dumbledore without Athena's help. But the summoning was abruptly disrupted and the silhouette that was about to be called forth disappeared into a black screen of smoke.

 _"I told you to stay your hand, Harry! Do not make me do something we'll both regret afterwards!"_ Athena said with a hint of anger in her voice. She was the one that stopped Harry this time as well by disrupting the summoning process.

In the meantime Antoinette gathered her wits and Sirius also took a hold of his wand, but his state of mind was too chaotic for him to be of any help in that moment. Protecting Sirius from Harry's wrath was now only up to Antoinette. With her wand quivering in her trembling hands she watched with trepidation the rage and the magical power displayed by Harry whom she had once considered to be just an arrogant brat. In spite of that and in spite of her fear, she remained firm in her decision.

Suddenly Harry stumbled and he nearly fell to the floor. The amount of blood he had lost was beginning to show its effects.

"I'll be damned if I don't at least break your bones today!" Harry screamed in rage again with no intent to back down. He wanted to hurt Sirius, he wanted to make him suffer. He wanted to hear him screaming in agony as he broke every inch of his body. He wanted to make him bleed. (1)

The chairs, the furniture, the debris lying around, everything in the kitchen began to float in mid-air and Antoinette's face paled when she realized that it was Harry who controlled them.

When Harry was about to make his move, a ghost-like illusory figure all of a sudden emerged from the Gorgoneion on his chest and then a resounding slap was heard in the room.

The levitated objects all fell to the floor and Harry stumbled backwards with his left cheek burning in pain. In that moment he felt as though he had just been woken up from a lethargy and he nearly stopped breathing for a few seconds when he realized that in front of him, the one who slapped him was none other than Athena.

"H-How? And why?" was all that Harry asked in anger and confusion.

Athena was supposed to be on his side... she had promised him that she would always be on his side, that she'll always be there for him. Why was that she stopped him today? Why was that she even slapped his face?

 _"Were you just going to kill someone? Were you actually going to kill your godfather? Your own family?"_ Athena's asked. From her voice Athena didn't seem to be angry...not even disappointed. Harry didn't understand what emotion was hidden behind it. But he was petrified when he realized what he had been about to do. (2)

His eyes turned towards the quivering form of a frightened Antoinette who still tried to protect Sirius and Sirius whose face looked as though he was about to cry.

Once Harry's mind became clear, he had no intention of harming Sirius in revenge anymore. But that didn't mean that his anger had disappeared. No, in fact it became even more intense because now he didn't have anyone on whom to vent it on.

While staggering, Harry picked himself up from the floor where he fell after Athena hit him. Without looking at Sirius even once, he made to exit the room. When he arrived at the door he stopped and without turning his face towards Sirius, with his back turned at him he said:

"You don't exist for me anymore from now on. I don't exist for you anymore either. We're strangers." he finished coldy and spat on the broken floor in disdain and disgust.

 _Scene break_

When Harry left Grimmauld place both Antoinette and Sirius let themselves fall down to the floor. Harry himself was just a 12 year old boy and even a bit scrawny for his age...but the powerful magic his emotions brought forth made them feel as if they were pressured by a mountain. It was the same presence Sirius had felt Dumbledore exuding in the rare moments of anger during the last war. That aura that gave off feeling that its owner had an unfathomable strength, that he was unstoppable...and seeing how Harry reduced to rubble an entire wall with just a punch and the floor with just a stomp, the vibes that his magic gave off were certainly true. Had Athena not been there to stop Harry, more than just one room would've been destroyed.

Despite that she still felt sluggish, Antoinette forced herself up to her feet and with a trembling voice she said:

"I- ... I'm sorry. It's my fault. If I hadn't been here none of these would've happened. I- ... I'll just go.."

Sirius who until then has looked as if he had just died inside appeared to suddenly become aware of his surroundings.

"Go? Where to?"

"I don't know... Somewhere else."

Sirius got up and startled Antoinette by suddenly embracing her tightly to his chest.

"Stop saying such stupid things!"

His voice sounded harsh but there was a loving undertone hidden beneath it.

"You haven't done anything wrong. It's my fault, not yours that things escalated to this."

"But your godson-" she tried to say only for Sirius to cut her off.

"Is a child. Harry is a child who only sees world in black and white. For him people are divided in 3 categories: a category for people like the Argyris whom he loves, a category for people he hates and one for people he doesn't care about. Just by being related to Draco whom he hates and to Lucius who is a Death Eater, you're automatically dropped into the category of people he hates." Sirius said kindly.

"B-But I'm not like them!" Antoinette nearly shouted.

"I'm tired, Sirius." she continued and Sirius felt his shoulder becoming wet. She was silently crying. Antoinette, who most of time seemed cold and unbreakable, was crying. Sirius couldn't help tightening his arms around her lithe frame.

"I'm tired of always being thrown in the same boat with them. What have I ever done wrong? Whom have I ever hurt?" she cried.

Sirius pushed her a little from his chest and he cupped her face his hands. He wiped the tears from her flushed cheeks with his thumbs and looked into her blue eyes while saying in a sincere voice:

"I admit I was suspicious at first that you only wanted to be together with me so you and Narcissa could be protected. But today I'm glad my suspicions were proven wrong... Today you could have gotten killed...yet you stood in front of me, willing to risk your life"

"I'm sorry I've ever doubted you, Toni." Sirius said affectionately and he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips on hers in a chaste, loving kiss.

 _Scene break - Irene's POV_

 _"There are no slouches in the Argyris family." - this is my family's unofficial motto. Well...not my biological family as I was adopted by Hector and Galatea Argyris when I was 8._

 _Anyway, because of these words I have always strived to do my best, to not let down mom and dad. And I succeeded: during the whole 7 years of schooling at Beauxbatons I have always been at the top of my year. I aced my OWLs with only Outstandings and three years ago I did just as great at the NEWTs as well. I was the Head Girl at Beauxbatons... I think I have even set a record for having the highest number of Outstanding grades at NEWTs in the last 70 years or so._

 _However, regardless of how well I did, in my adoptive parents' eyes I could never quite catch up to my sister's brilliance._

 _Lilith Argyris. A genius with fairy-like beauty. If God exists like so many Muggles believe then he must be a fellow with a very bad sense of humour. So many people are born with nothing while others are born with too much._

 _I used to consider myself gifted compared to the masses...but that was until Lilith appeared in my life. I'd be lying if I said I don't envy her...she has had everything she could have possibly wished ever since she was born: beauty, brains and a ridiculous talent with magic._

 _*Sigh*_

 _No use in thinking about it anymore. I'm not half bad either, am I? Right, I've just finished my apprenticeship and now I have the chance to practice teaching at Hogwarts, one of the best magical schools in the world!_

 _Three weeks have passed since I've started here and I have to say it is just as interesting as I thought it would be. The castle itself may not be as elegant and luxurious as Beauxbatons but it outclasses it with its grandeur. I also find the professors here much warmer compared to the ones from Beauxbatons - Mrs. Sprout, Ms. Vector and even the headmistress are very supportive and kind to me. And best of them all is undoubtedly Professor Flitwick._

 _Although on the paper I have already finished my apprenticeship, the practice stage is just as important for me as the theoretical part. And Professor Flitwick spared no effort in teaching me his "trade secrets"._

 _Now it's Friday evening..._

 _Oh my God, I have only two more days until I'll have my first teaching experience! Furthermore, it so happens that it will be with the Slytherin, the worst house in terms of behaviour!_

 _No-no, I should not have this kind of thoughts! As a teacher I have to be impartial and not let myself clouded by prejudices. Not all of them are bad, are they?_

 _*Sigh* I'm so anxious! What if when I have to demonstrate a spell I'll mess up. Gaah! Everyone will laugh at me! What will I do if I stutter?_

 _I think I'm going to cry._

 _No, no, man up, Irene! Lilith would probably have no troubles whatsoever! You have no reason to be afraid, coward!_

 _Scene break_

Just as Irene was having these kinds of conflicting thoughts, the flames in the fireplace roared and a man's had appeared within.

"Irene, sorry to suddenly barge in on your free time, but I really need your help!"

Although startled by Sirius' sudden call, Irene asked:

"What's the matter, Sirius? What happened? And why didn't you come to my office directly, aren't you at school?

"This... I have told you about my godson before, haven't I?"

"Yes, Harry Potter, the brilliant 3rd year student from Slytherin. You talk about him every day."

Sirius' face morphed into a bitter smile.

"Indeed... but we had a fight. And he's hurt. Please, Irene, help him."

"He's hurt? What did you do to him, Sirius?" Irene asked sharply and there seemed to be no sign of the shy and timid girl anymore.

"I'll explain you some other time. Please, Irene, you're the only one I can ask for help! You're the only one that could get through him. He won't listen to anyone else." Sirius pleaded.

"Only I? How come? We have not even exchanged a word until now." Irene said suspiciously.

"You're an Argyris."

"What does that have anything to do with this situation?"

Sirius seemed to hesitate but he said eventually:

"Aren't you Helen's granddaughter? Helen is that one person whom Harry has never disobeyed."

"What-..." Irene tried to ask but Sirius did not give her the chance.

"Please!"

Irene looked like she was having an internal battle before conceding:

"But I need to at least let professor Flitwick know about my whereabouts first before leaving.."

"Please, Irene. There isn't much time left!" Sirius begged.

At Sirius' words Irene misunderstood that there's not much time left before Harry died because of his wounds. Sirius however was talking about there being not much time left since Harry's portkey to Japan was going to activate in just an hour.

"The Ancestral Home of the Black family can be found at Grimmauld nr. 12."

Irene felt a wave of magic wash over her and she understood that Sirius just told her the "Secret". The Fidelius Charm was an ancient and obscure charm which could be casted only by a select few. Even so, Irene had the fortune to have Flitwick as her professor; because of that she had had the chance to learn about it.

With her mind in turmoil, full of worries and unanswered questions, Irene threw a handful of Floo Powder into the hearth and stepped inside before calling:

"Grimmauld Place number 12!"

 _Scene break_

 _'That amount of destruction had been caused by Harry? The entire kitchen was practically reduced to rubble!'_ Irene said to herself for what had to be the 6th time, still shocked by the sight that had welcomed her when she had arrived at Sirius' home.

 _'And Sirius won't tell me anything. I do have a feeling though that it is some way or another related to his girlfriend. Every time I saw that girl she has always had an air of superiority around her regardless of who was in front of her...yet now she was as meek as a nun.'_

Irene breathed out a heavy sigh.

 _'Sirius, just you wait! I expect a full explanation when I come back!'_

 _'Still, Muggle London during night time is almost as scary as Knockturn Alley!'_ Irene thought as she tightened her coat around herself and began to walk at a quicker pace. (3)

Irene took a rectangular mirror out of her black purse and touched it with the tip of her wand. The small mirror glowed for a few seconds and then a thread of light was shot out of it and connected with a point a few hundred metres away from where she was.

"I'm close." Irene muttered and quickened her pace.

 _'But what am I going to tell him when I meet him? What if he attacks me?'_ Irene thought worriedly. After all even she heard the rumours about Harry that circulated amongst the students. Moreover, it was obvious even for an outsider like her that the rest of the Slytherin house avoided Harry like plague - they kept a distance of at least two seats between them and him at lunch in the Great Hall and Sirius himself told Irene that a Boggart transformed into Harry when it was the turn of one of the Slytherin boys to banish it.

"Oh, there he is!" Irene softly exclaimed to herself.

There, in of one of the many parks in London, Harry was seating on a bench. Despite being rather cold outside - it was evening, nearly at the end of October - Harry didn't have a coat; in his anger, when he had left the Black family's ancestral home he had forgotten to take it with him.

 _'He really is hurt!'_ Irene thought when she noticed the bloodstains on his shirt glittering in the light of the lamp post. When she got closer she felt a whiff of smoke and suddenly she realized something was not right.

A very thin and nearly invisible membrane of light was covering Harry's entire body and even in the semi-darkness of the evening it was visible how the air was distorted around his silhouette. The grass within 10 feet around the bench was shrivelled and the place on the bench where Harry's hands rested was becoming singed.

What alarmed Irene even more though was that despite being in a seating position, Harry's eyes were closed and he appeared to be unconscious.

* * *

 **AN:** I'd like to hear your thoughts. How do you feel about Athena's actions? What is your opinion about Antoinette? Any thoughts about Irene? Thank your for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

(1)(2) Harry's extreme desire for violence and brutality and the reason why Athena had in fact not seemed to be angry at him - these will be explained very soon, probably in the next chapter.

(3) It was around 6 pm when Irene walked on London's streets. But given that it was nearly the end of October, the sky was already beginning to darken.


	35. Chapter 35 - (spoiler)

AN: I managed to write a second chapter this week. Of course, the fact that I'm posting it this evening is also thanks to my beta, **Thundramon.** Enjoy

There is a new poll on my profile and it concerns this story. Please vote.

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 34 – (spoiler, see the end if you really want to break the charm of the chapter)**

The same rocky beach and the same agitated sea - it was Gorgoneion's inner world.

However, the usual picturesque landscape was broken this time by a silhouette kneeling on the rocky ground. It was a 12 year old boy - it was Harry Potter. A formidable energy was pouring out of his body and it revolved around him like a small vortex. But at an extremely rapid pace sand and rocks were lifted into the air and the previously small vortex was became a full-fledged tornado.

At just a few feet away from the raging wind, a woman was silently watching the scene. An open-faced golden helmet was covering her shoulder-length brown hair and a large golden shield obscured from view the upper part of her body. The image was completed by the sceptre-like spear she held into her right hand.

Said woman was none other than Athena.

She made a few steps towards the tornado but then she stopped and shook her head.

 _'This isn't what he needs right now. Stopping his rampage with force will not have a good effect in the long run. His rage will bottle up and when it will finally explode it could be the end of him.'_ Athena thought.

 _'But he still needs to be woken up from that state.'_

Athena bit her lower lip. Oh how much she hated this feeling of weakness... she used to be a goddess. Even Zeus himself had to straighten his back in her presence and none of the beings that went against her had a nice ending. Her prowess was formidable as well - it wasn't just once that she defeated Ares, the God of War himself. She also resisted against Poseidon's monstrous strength and even managed to defeat him as well. Yet now she was afraid of entering the eye of a tornado! The goddess who had once been able to lift mountains and resist even the Sun's flames was vulnerable against a mere tornado. She was just a shell of her former self.

 _'Even if I won't die from this, it will take a long time for my injuries to heal.'_

Athena was now just a spirit. She wouldn't bleed nor would her body be bruised. But with every wound she lost a great deal of magic power. For some reason Athena found it extremely hard to regenerate her power...and when her magic completely disappeared, she would disappear as well. But Athena wouldn't die even if she disappeared. Because the Gorgoneion acted in a similar way a Horcrux did.

Athena was the goddess of Wisdom; when she was at her peak she insured herself a way of survival in the scenario where she was to be destroyed... in that time, when she used to be all-powerful just who had the strength to kill her? Only a deity could kill an Olympian God. And she was one of the most powerful gods in existence. However, Athena had known that nothing was absolute; because of that she created the Gorgoneion in which she safely stored her soul. She hadn't maimed it like wizards did when they made a Horcrux because as a goddess her degree of control over her very being was not something that mortals could ever reach.

 _'I wouldn't die if I disappeared.'_ Athena said to herself. _'I wouldn't die... but how many centuries will have to pass until I will reform again? Will I ever find someone like this child?'_

Only a little more than a year had passed since Athena met Harry but despite that the goddess has already started to treat Harry as someone close to her heart... as someone whom she loved, as her own son.

Harry was rash and impatient; he was rude and he often acted recklessly without thoroughly thinking at the consequences his actions would cause. He was selfish and violent. His morals were questionable as well. But despite all of that, Athena saw a lot of potential in him. Because despite all of his apparent selfishness and his other bad character traits, when the situation called for it Harry had chosen to put his life to risk in order to save his new friend at that time, Dan. And despite his many flaws, he had always strived to make Athena pleased with his actions...it was only today that he talked back to her and disobeyed her. His rage clouded his mind and his own magic went berserk, taking control of his own desires.

"It might be the last time we're seeing each other, child... I am going to disappear soon. But you will die if your magic leaves of your body any more. I promised you back then that I'll always be by your side. That I will guide and that I will protect you. And I will stand by my words until my last moments. Because I am Athena." the goddess whispered to herself.

Athena's face became determined. She clenched her fingers around her golden spear and she raised the Aegis in front of her body. She kicked the ground hard and she threw herself into the large tornado that was devastating the Gorgoneion's inner world.

Athena knew she was walking to her own 'death'. But her steps wavered not even once. As she got closer to the raging wind, one of the large rocks was rocketed towards her. A loud bang was heard as the rock smashed itself to pieces into the golden shield. She managed to successfully defend herself. But that was only the beginning.

The rocks lifted in the air by the tornado were not large...but the speed at which they were hurled made them not any less destructive than the ones thrown by a trebuchet. And the closer she got, the more the number of rocks hurled at her increased.

Another rock smashed into her golden shield. And two others were coming at her. She cut one with her spear and dodged the last one. But out of nowhere, another rock smashed into her back, making her fall to her knees in pain. It was as though the tornado was sentient and tried to ward off any intruders. But what frustrated Athena to the point of tears was how weak she was. Her soft-looking fingers dug into the rocky ground of the beach and she gritted her teeth.

"I'm not worthy to be called a goddess if I can't withstand at least this much!" she shouted, but her voice was lost in the roars of the raging wind.

Athena lifted herself to her feet and she started to run. It was a desperate run. Rocks and debris were hurled at her from every side. Her golden helmet had long since been blown away by the wind from her head and her spear had long since been lost after a rock smashed into her shoulder. She lost count of how many times she fell to her knees in pain but every time she got up and began to run with even more stubbornness than before. But eventually, a rock larger than both of her fist combined hit her in the back of her head before she had the time to dodge.

The pain was so intense and the hit so powerful that she collapsed on the ground almost unconscious. She hit the ground roughly and her faithful shield slipped off from her forearm.

 _'Is this the end?_ '

 _'...I failed, huh? The second I time I failed in my entire existence.'_

In that moment various memories played in her mind.

...Her hugging and consoling a crying Harry Potter after he accidentally caused Marcus Flint's death...

...Her messing with Harry when he was dancing with Lilith...

...Her teasing Harry about his crush on Lilith and making him yell in frustration at the steamy memories she brought at the front of his mind...

...Her and Harry reading together legends about her and Harry 'getting revenge' on her by teasing her in regards to the incident with Eris' Apple and Paris' decision...

All the beautiful times she had spent with Harry in the brief period of time they had been together were brought at the front of Athena's mind and she clenched her fists.

"What kind of goddess am I if I can't even protect the only one who believes in me?!"

She pushed with her hands against the ground and tried to lift herself up again. Her body seemed untouched but only she knew how her muscles and bones were screaming in pain at all the hits they suffered. Her magic was seeping away steadily and she wobbled dangerously.

"I don't have much time." she noted. But there wasn't too much of a distance to Harry either.

 _'I want to see his face once more. I only want to embrace him one more time before I disappear!_ ' Athena prayed in her heart.

She knew it was a foolish thing what she did; she was goddess - or used to be. Anyway, it was her who was supposed to listen to mortals' prayers and respond to them... just who was she praying to? Who would be able to help her? Who would listen to a god's prayers?

But at her heartfelt desire the tornado abruptly died down and the previously unconscious Harry raised his head and looked at the goddess.

"Athena!" Harry shouted when he saw her falling down.

He ran towards her and caught her in his arms before her body hit the ground. Her body was surprisingly light... was what Harry thought before realising that something was not right - Athena's body was slowly becoming transparent.

"W-What's happening?!" Harry cried out in panic.

Athena only smiled tiredly and said:

"Let us sit. I don't have much time left."

Harry let himself and Athena to the ground and Athena laid her head on Harry's lap. Their positions were reversed this time compared to when they first met.

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked sharply.

"My magic has disappeared...and I'm going to fade away too."

"A-Are you going to die?" Harry asked with his voice strangled by emotions.

Athena only smiled sadly when hot tears started to fall from Harry's eyes onto her own face. She didn't make any attempt to wipe them off.

"I- ... It's my fault!"

"I didn't-"

"I'm sorry."

Harry was crying and his words didn't make any sense.

"It's not your fault!" Athena said but Harry was shaking his head in denial.

"Listen to me, Harry!" she said and her left hand cupped his small face, caressing gently his cheek.

"It was not your fault. You weren't in control of your magic. You weren't yourself. Furthermore, nobody forced me to enter the tornado."

"THEN WHY DID YOU DO IT?" Harry cried.

"You would have died had I not tried to reach you. Or you would have survived but you would have become corrupted by your rage and you would have become a slave to your own magic."

"Most of the Death Eaters had once been respectable people; the nobility of the wizarding world. How do you think that they become so twisted to enjoy torturing and killing? How did they become such monsters?"

"Magic is both a blessing and a curse because it is in a very strong relationship with one's emotions. And when one's emotions get out of control, the magic inside him goes berserk as well. It manifests at first through bouts of accidental magic. As the time passes the wizards learn to control their emotions better and the outbursts of magic lessen in number...but they get much more powerful. And when the magic becomes berserk again it takes just one little push for it to be tarnished and perverted by the emotions it caused it to erupt in the first place."

"I promised you that I will protect you. So I couldn't let that happen." Athena finished.

"But you also promised you'll always be with me. You said you will stay with me till the end of time! Did you lie to me?"

A helpless expression surfaced on Athena's face and she forced herself in a seating position. Looking at the tears flowing from Harry's eyes, Athena was hard pressed to stop hers from flowing as well.

"Do not cry, child. Even if you won't see me anymore, I'll always be with you."

"That's a load of bullshit and you know it!" Harry shouted.

It was the first time Harry experienced this feeling. The feeling of loss that comes with a dear one's death. It was in that moment that Harry realized that he had loved Athena like the mother he had never had. She has always taken care of him. She saved him when things got too hard for him to handle. She hugged him and caressed him when he was in the depths of despair. She scolded him when he did something stupid. She has always been by his side from the moment he had met her... But now she was dying. The one about whom he had cared the most in his entire life was now dying. Harry has never even envisioned a life without Athena's presence in it. Unconsciously he has always seen her as a part of his present and his future, an indispensable part of his life.

Athena took Harry in her arms and embraced him to her chest. It was the first time she felt such pain as well. She has never really given too much thought to how hard the mortals suffered. To what they felt when their children died in their own arms. Or when children buried their own parents. She has never felt the pain of losing someone she loved either. Sure, she did cry after Pallas when she died...but it was different this time. To her Harry was like her son in all but blood.

Athena finally let her tears fall.

"I wish we had more time together. I wish I could truly be with you till the end of time... but even if we'll never see each other again, know that I loved you like the child I've never had."

Harry only began to cry harder at her words.

But suddenly, Athena's body became immaterial and Harry's arms went right through her.

"NO!"

"Please, don't leave me!" Harry shouted.

"Don't worry. I won't let you suffer!" Athena said while her body began to disperse in small particles of light. The lower part of her body already disappeared and her arms were beginning to fade as well at an alarming pace.

Athena lowered herself to Harry and kissed him lovingly on the forehead.

Right after that her entire body disappeared in a myriad of particles of light while Harry desperately tried to catch them with his hands.

"Farewell, my son!" Athena's gentle voice sounded and the world went black for Harry.

* * *

AN: A bittersweet chapter. Don't laugh at me but I got quite emotional myself while writing this chapter. In my mind I sometimes feel like these characters are not just mere characters in a fic... smh, I probably sound like a weirdo to you now. Don't mind me

 **Farewell, my son!** – that was the title of the chapter


	36. Chapter 36 - The Start of a Friendship

AN: Here's the new chapter, enjoy!

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

《Hello》 - Greek language

Irene's thoughts are obviously in Greek.

Many thanks to my beta **Thundramon** for proofreading this chapter!

* * *

 _(Previously on Gorgoneion)_

'He really is hurt!' _Irene thought when she noticed the bloodstains on his shirt glittering in the light of the lamp post. When she got closer she felt a whiff of smoke and suddenly she realized something was not right._

 _A very thin and nearly invisible membrane of light was covering Harry's entire body and even at the pale light of the lamp post it was visible how the air was distorted around his silhouette. The grass within 10 feet around the bench was shrivelled and the place on the bench where Harry's hands rested was becoming singed._

* * *

 **Chapter 36 – The Start of a Friendship**

As the amount of smoke increased from the bench that was being singed Irene began to panic.

 _'His magic is destroying the surroundings while he's unconscious...'_

《We had a fight.》 Irene mimicked Sirius' voice angrily. 《That asshole! Such accidental magic doesn't occur because of a mere fight!》

Her wand was drawn but Irene was hesitating to act because getting involved with accidental magic was highly dangerous due to its volatile and unpredictable nature.

While Irene was at a loss of what to do, the membrane of light that contained Harry's magic and prevented it from destroying the surroundings suddenly disappeared and Harry, who until then had been in a seating position, fell from the bench to the ground.

A grunt of pain was heard from him and his bleary eyes opened. He looked around him unfocusedly not managing for a moment to understand where was he.

 _'What the hell am I doing here in the middle of a park in London?'_

Out of habit his hand went to his chest to check out if the Gorgoneion was still there.

 _'It's good no-one stole it while I was unconscious. If I lost it, then...'_

But his thoughts stopped right there.

 _'Isn't it just a wicked-looking pendant? What would happen if lost it?_ _Why was I so worried for a moment there?'_

While he pondered on these things, an excruciating headache nearly made him lose his consciousness again.

"Aaargh!"

It was a shout of agony. It felt as if someone just split his skull with an axe. But just as suddenly as it appeared, as quickly it disappeared.

"Hey! Are you alright? Let me see where you are hurt." Harry heard Irene's accentuated English.

She came beside him and tried to lift Harry up.

"Can you stand?" she asked. But she didn't wait for his answer and instead took Harry by surprise by levitating his body and putting him on the bench on his stomach.

《It's pretty bad!》 Irene gnawed at her lower lip nervously and asked herself in her native language, forgetting for a moment that Harry couldn't understand her. 《Should I take him to St. Mungo?》 she asked herself.

"What are you doing here?" Harry finally asked in a weak voice, startling Irene from her thoughts.

"Sirius told me you were hurt and he asked me to come to help you."

"I'm hurt..?" Harry asked with doubt in his voice before realization dawned on him as he remembered the last hour's events.

"That bastard! I'm going to fucking kill him! I'm going to rip his-" Harry suddenly shouted and Irene shrieked in fright at his sudden outburst.

But then Harry abruptly went still. His actions would make a stranger think that he was a mentally deranged person - and Irene's thoughts in that moment were not too far from that.

"How did I get here?" Harry said.

The last thing he remembered was levitating the furniture and the debris from the broken wall and floor in the kitchen. He had been about to hurl them at Sirius and Antoinette...but then everything was blank.

 _'What happened after that?'_

Harry tried hard to remember but then just like a few moments before, an excruciating headache suddenly assaulted him. But this time he lost his consciousness even before he could voice out his pain.

Irene was sincerely scared at the behaviour of the boy in front of her. She was in fact secretly relieved that Harry had lost his consciousness because otherwise she would have had a very hard time getting Harry to either St. Mungo or to Madam Pomfrey at Hogwarts.

《I know you're going to be angry at me when you wake up but there's no way I'm going to let you take an international portkey while being in this state!》 Irene murmured.

Irene has never side-Apparated someone before so she didn't feel confident in doing it right now when it was dark outside and when the one she had to Apparate along with was unconscious. Harry had already lost a large amount of blood as it is, an eventual Splinching could actually lead to his demise given his current state. Therefore she casted a Disillusionment Charm on Harry and chose to walk to Grimmauld Place on foot.

Worth mentioning is that true to someone in the last stage before getting her Master degree in Charms, the Disillusionment Charm Irene had casted on Harry was formidable. Probably the darkness outside contributed to it as well, but one would be very hard pressed to see a distortion in the air where Harry's body was floating. He was almost invisible!

While levitating Harry's invisible body in front or her Irene began to purposely walk towards the Borough of Islington where the Ancestral Home of the Black family was located... or at least that's what she wanted to. When she had come to find Harry Irene had simply followed the direction indicated by the Tracking Charm placed on Harry's mirror. She had not paid attention to the streets she had crossed. And that had led to what happened now: she has gotten lost!

She stopped at a nearby bench and laid Harry gently on it. She sat beside him and heaved a sigh.

《This city is simply too big. How in the world am I going to find my way back?》

But she decided to stop thinking about that.

《For the time being maybe I should try healing his wound...who knows when will I finally find my way back.》 Irene murmured to herself.

With a new purpose in mind Irene drew her wand and cast a Privacy Charm to repel any passing Muggles from disturbing her. Although she and Harry were in a more remote place and despite that it was dark outside, it wasn't that late; and given how many people lived in London it wouldn't be a surprise for someone to stumble upon them.

Irene cancelled the Disillusionment Charm she had previously casted on Harry and then she softly rolled him with his back up. She tried to check out his wound at the light of the lamp post but it wasn't bright enough.

A bulb of bright white light came out from her wand and started to float besides Harry's head offering Irene a clear view. To her relief, it wasn't as bad as she had presumed. Going by the amount of blood that stained Harry's blouse one would think that he had cracked his skull or something.

《I need to remove the hair first.》 Irene said to herself.

Now she didn't know any of charms used by wizard hairdressers but for what she had to do, a simple Severing Charm would work just fine. The only problem was that she needed to have a very fine control over the charm so that she would cut only the hair, not something else. But Irene was one step away from becoming a Charms Mistress; a problem of such magnitude was not worth mentioning to someone of her capability.

She cut the hair and then vanished it with a mental _'Evanesco'_. After that she removed the clotted blood and took a closer look at the wound.

《It's only skin deep...why did he bleed that much?》 she asked herself confused.

In the end though she was no Mediwizard so she could only shrug her shoulders helplessly and do what she knew to do. She took a small flask containing Firewhisky from her purse and bit her lower lip hesitating.

It wasn't that Firewhisky's effects as a disinfectant were poor - from what she knew Firewhisky was at least 70 Proof so it would definitely clean the wound. The problem was that it would probably burn like hell! However, she didn't have anything else at hand. When Sirius had flooed her, Irene barely had the time to take her coat with her. And Sirius didn't have any kind of disinfectant or potion at his house; he only had alcoholic drinks (and a large collection at that).

As a precaution, before pouring the flask of alcohol on the wound Irene cast a Silencing Charm on the area surrounding them and then a Full-Body Binding Spell on the unconscious Harry. He was unconscious now but when the pain kicked in he would definitely wake up screaming. And Irene didn't feel like getting a black eye before Harry understood what was actually going on.

True to Irene's predictions, when she poured the Firewhisky on the wound and started to rub it Harry woke up with a start. If it weren't for the Full-Body Binding spell keeping him petrified he would have screamed bloody murder. It wasn't that he was being a sissy; pouring alcohol on a open wound sting like hell for everyone anyway... but Firewhisky had that particular characteristic of giving the drinker a sensation of burning. If that was the effect it had when being ingested imagine how it was when being poured on a raw wound.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I know it hurts badly but please bear with it for a little longer." Irene tried to console him as she sped up her actions. But she still had to do it right. It wouldn't do for her to close the wound without cleaning it properly because it could get infected and seeing as it was located on the head, that wound could even cause his death if worse came to worst.

When she finished disinfecting the wound, Irene pointed her wand at it and said out loud:

"Episkey!"

She could easily cast pretty much any charm nonverbally but she spoke its incantation more for Harry to hear it. Episkey was a very useful spell that could heal all kinds of small wounds - minor cuts, broken noses, broken nails and so on. However, such a useful spell was actually not included in the Charms Curriculum at Hogwarts so she wanted Harry to at least know of it in the future.

The wound on Harry's head closed up in a heartbeat leaving no sign behind, not even the smallest scar! Finishing that, Irene lifted the Binding Spell from Harry and he weakly lifted himself in a seating position.

"Gaah, that stung like a bitch!"

His hand went to the back of his head to feel the place where he was had been hurt and his face paled when he realized the situation: the entire back of his head was bald! ...How was he going to see Lilith in this state? His hair was now worse than the Medieval Catholic priests' hairstyle.

"Where's my hair?" Harry yelled in panic.

The scared face Harry made when he yelled and the way he was desperately flailing his hands on his head - it was simply too much: Irene burst into laughter. She couldn't help it, it was hilarious!

"Don't worry, your hair can easily be regrown with magic, silly." Irene said still smile from one ear to another. "How do you want it? I could make it grow longer than before if you wanted."

"Just make it like it was before!" Harry said sullenly, still butthurt at her having laughed at him.

Harry felt an ich at the back of his head and in less than 3 seconds the previously bald scalp now had countless one inch long hairs, just like it did before.

"Amazing!" Harry exclaimed when he confirmed with his own hands that his hair had truly grown up back.

Irene smiled shyly at Harry's heartfelt amazement. It wasn't that she wasn't aware of how formidable her abilities with Charms were, but she had a shy and timid personality. Being the target of someone's sincere admiration would inadvertently make her feel a little flustered.

A few moments after Harry finished checking out his hair, Irene and him looked at each other awkwardly. They were basically strangers. Furthermore, while because of her introverted personality Irene has never been a people person, Harry wasn't Mr. Popularity either; he wasn't used to interact normally with strangers. In fact in the last year Harry had barely exchanged a few words with strangers: his social circle was extremely small, consisting of less than 10 people: the Argyris, Dumbledore, Sirius, Dan and Gwen. With the rest of the people he had an either hostile or indifferent relationship.

Irene on the other hand had never gotten involved with many people. Of course, she would reply with a smile when approached but she didn't start herself any conversations with strangers. However, she was already 20 years old; even though she was introverted, she felt now like it was up to her to break the ice, especially if she wanted to learn about the connection between Harry and her adoptive grandmother, Helen, between Harry and the Argyris. As she thought about what to start with, Harry asked:

"So where were you taking me?"

"I was going to take you to Sirius' house so we could Floo from there to Hogwarts."

Harry wanted at first to tell her that there was no way he was going to Sirius again but after he took another glance at his surroundings, a flicker of amusement shone into his green and silver-grey eyes.

"You do know that you were going into the opposite direction, right?"

Irene's cheeks redened so hard that Harry could see the change in her complexion even at the pale light coming from the street lamp.

Although he was feeling very amused, Harry decided to not embarrass her any further. Instead, he told her:

"I won't be coming to Hogwarts for a few days. I have something to do in the meantime. My portkey to Japan will activate in like..." he glanced at the golden wristwatch on his right hand "...half an hour."

"You've lost a lot of blood, Harry. It wouldn't be smart of you to go to Japan in your current state. You could pass out anytime." Irene advised. Sure, she had cleaned up and healed his wound but Harry was in no way as good as new. He would have to ingest first a Blood-Replenishing Potion and a few other copious meals before he reverted back to 100%.

Harry shook his head.

"I understand your intentions, but I can't afford to miss out on this."

"I don't have many friends...scratch that, right now I only have one friend and two buddies. And since the start of this school year I have been neglecting her, I have not sent her even one letter... But on Sunday is her birthday. I want to make up to her, especially since she will in no way expect me to come from Scotland all the way to Japan."

Harry hesitated for a brief moment before adding:

"This best friend I'm talking about is in fact your little sister."

An unreadable expression surfaced on Irene's face but she willed it away quickly. Instead, she decided it was the moment to ask him how he managed to get connected with her adoptive family.

"How come you got so close to her? I mean you live in England while the Argyris live in Greece. Not to mention that she acts like a snobby bitch with everyone, especially the boys."

"It happened last year when your sister attended Hogwarts..." Harry started and in a few minutes he told her the gist of the past events.

Irene was very surprised by what she heard. Since 3 years ago she had severed any kinds of contact with her adoptive family and because of that she had been out of the loop. She had not known that Lilith had attended Hogwarts last year, nor had she been aware of what had actually happened last year at Hogwarts.

Worth mentioning is that there was a very big difference between how information spread in the Wizarding World compared to the Muggle World. While in the Muggle World the process of globalization was very pronounced, it was not the same in the Wizarding World. Aside from the International Confederation of Wizards whose purpose was to maintain the Statute of Secrecy at an international level, there was nothing else connecting the different countries and Ministries of Magic. There was also the Quidditch Championships but that's irrelevant for this case.

In conclusion, the wizards wouldn't know anything about what happened in other countries unless they had relatives or friends living there. Therefore, foreign wizards knew that Hogwarts had been closed because of the Minister's reforms - they did know about it considering that Hogwarts was one of the 11 ancient institutions of magical education in the world - but they were not aware of what had really happened. They didn't know that a Cerberus had eaten alive a 7th year student; they didn't know that a Mountain Troll had almost killed another 2 students. And they most certainly didn't know that one of the worst Dark Lords in the last few centuries had managed to steal the Philosopher's Stone - that wasn't a known fact for English Wizards either; only a select few from Albus Dumbledore's clique were aware of it.

That being said, Irene was appalled at the thought that Lilith has brushed past death twice in the span of 3 months. Sure, it couldn't be said that she was that close to her, but in the end, putting aside her bitterness, Irene still cared about Lilith. Although she wasn't related by blood and despite having been neglected because of her by her adoptive family, Irene still considered Lilith her sister. She would never wish her death.

"...so I've been living with them ever since." Harry finished.

There was a moment of silence as Irene went over what Harry had told her again in her thoughts. But after a while Harry spoke again.

"There are only a few minutes left until the portkey activates. You can now Disapparate and leave by yourself."

"Thank you for mending my wound."

Irene's pretty face looked like she was debating something in her mind but eventually she said:

"I'm coming along. Before saying that there's no need for that, how would you know what to ask for in Japanese in order to buy a Blood Replenishing Potion? Although I'm not proficient to the point of perfection with the Translating Charms, I can still make myself understood."

She was expecting Harry to contradict her and retort against the idea of her coming with him, but to her surprise, he didn't raise as much as an objection.

 _'Getting Lilith her big sister to visit her for her birthday might be an even better present than the bracelet I have bought her.'_ Harry thought before Irene and him touched the glowing portkey at the same time.

* * *

AN: Indeed, as you have probably guessed, it was Athena that caused his amnesia. Why did Harry react the way he did, why did his magic go berserk and why had it been so destructive – all these will be explained soon, after Harry's visit to Japan when he'll start questioning what is the reason behind his headaches.


	37. Chapter 37 - Sister

AN: The first chapter of this story in 2017. Wish you a happy new year! Enjoy

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

[Hello] - Japanese language

* * *

 **Chapter 37 - Sister**

[Aww, I so want that large plushie! It's sooo adorable!]

The one who spoke with a longing voice was a petite 13 years old girl with short black hair and a mischievous expression on her childlike face. Her name was Hanabi.

[Sigh, its fur looks almost like it's real! And look at those blue eyes!] Hanabi said and sighed longingly again while throwing side-glances at a 15 year-old boy whose expression was becoming darker every time Hanabi spoke.

[It looks so soft and comfy! I'd cuddle with it every night!] Hanabi said again but Akihiko continuously ignoring her made her all of a sudden yell in annoyances.

[Oi, blockhead, just how many do I have to say that I want that plush toy for you to finally get the freaking hint?!]

[Tsk! I noticed it the first time you said it. But why would I spend money on such a childish activity?] Akihiko replied arrogantly.

[What do you mean why? To impress such a cute girl like me countless guys would-]

[Cute? Bah! Who would look at a flat child-like body like yours?]

These last words of Akihiko had hit Hanabi where it hurt her the most. She has always felt insecure because of her petite body. It wasn't that she felt terribly bad about it - most Japanese girls had petite bodies - but ever since she made friends with a Veela and with a half-Kitsune girl, Hanabi has started to feel much more conscious about her body. If she were to be honest to herself, Hanabi felt like someone like her stood out like a sore thumb when compared to her friends: Lilith was a ridiculously beautiful and gifted witch, a member of the "Golde Quartet". Akane was an extremely beautiful half-Kitsune girl, probably the most popular in the entire school; she was like an idol. And lastly, but not in the least, Akihiko was an Astronomy genius, also a part of the so-called "Golden Quartet". Besides that, he was also very handsome and one of the most popular guys at Mahoutokoro as well. Only Hanabi was ordinary - be it her grades or her looks, Hanabi didn't stand out with anything special from other girls her age.

When she heard Akihiko's words Hanabi's hand instinctively went to her wand, but then, she felt someone's knuckles bumping her head. She looked up like a startled deer.

[No fighting here, Hanabi, we're in the middle of a Muggle entertainment centre!] Hanabi's older sister, Yuri, said sternly.

In the meantime Lilith and Akane watched the exchange barely suppressing their laughter: that was a daily occurrence. Hanabi and Akihiko were always like the cat and the dog - they never missed a chance to throw some jabs at each other and to annoy the hell out of each other. The even funnier thing this time around was that it was Hanabi that was left on the loosing side; most of the time it was Akihiko that lost their daily fights.

[Don't be mad, Hanabi, I'll get you that plushie!] Lilith said with a comforting smile.

[But it loses its meaning if it's a girl that gets it for me!] Hanabi said while rubbing her sore head.

Lilith made a questioning face and Yuri explained:

[It became almost like a tradition in the later years here in Japan for the boy to win a plushie for the girl on their first date.]

[It sounds rather nice.] Lilith admitted while imagining a scene where Harry won a plushie and gifted it to her before starting kis- ... Lilith shook her head quickly to clear up her mind of dirty thoughts before her face began to redden for no apparent reason.

[Don't worry, I got it covered.] Lilith said confidently before grinning arrogantly. [Just watch.]

Yuri, Hanabi, Akane and Akihiko watched in bewilderment how Lilith left them and went to the gaming machine with plush toys.

It was Saturday and the 5 of them were spending their time in a large arcade gaming centre in Akihabara district of Tokyo's ward, Chiyoda. So it goes without saying that the place was bustling with people, Akihabara being a very popular attraction for teenagers.

[Don't tell me!] Akane suddenly exclaimed when she realized what Lilith was about to do.

Lilith left her friends and went to the machine. She introduced a few coins and then controlled the joysticks, trying to pick up the large plushie which Hanabi wanted. In that moment she also let her allure loose and stopped bothering to keep it under control.

Lilith would have had no real troubles in getting the plushie but she failed at it on purpose. She moaned pitifully and said in a whiney voice while pouting:

[Why is it so hard to get something?]

Yuri, Hanani and Akane's jaws dropped. They have never imagined Lilith pulling off such a "helpless spoiled girl" act! They were at a loss of words.

In the meantime Akihiko's eyes glazed and he seemed to have lost his senses. Around them, almost twenty other boys of all ages all looked they have fallen into a trance and many more were gathering. One of them suddenly stepped forward hurriedly and exclaimed in a boisterous voice:

[I can totally get you everything you want from there! I'm known as the most skilled plush toys getter in the world!]

And that started it: boys all around started to shout all kind of things, one more ridiculous than the other:

[I'm the one that designed that machine! I can give you all the toys there in less than 5 seconds!]

[My name is Takami Gates. I'll buy you the entire Akihabara!] (1)

While everyone was clamouring around Lilith, Akihiko was about to rush towards her as well, his mind overwhelmed by the allure.

[Oi, idiot, get a hold of yourself!] Akane shouted and slapped the back of his head.

[Huh? What the...] were Akihiko's intelligent words. It was as though he had just been awoken from a lethargy.

When he realized what he had been about to do, Akihiko let himself fall onto one of the nearby cushioned chairs near him and buried his face in his hands while groaning in severe embarrassment:

[Damnit, that was so disgraceful!]

 _Scene break_

Later that evening an exhausted group of friends finally arrived home. After Lilith started that clamour there, countless boys jumped to "help" her. Not only did she get the large plushie Hanabi wanted, she got so much more.

But the problem arose when Lilith tried to leave. After riling them up so much, the boys didn't want to even think of letting their "Silver Tenshi" out from their sight. Even the agents that were supposed to maintain the order in the gaming centre were useless as they have also been rendered a drooling mess. In the end Lilith said with a forced sweet smile:

"Look, I can't stay here all day long... I'm a foreigner and I want to see more of Tokyo...]

[...But I'd reeealy love to have one of you as my guide for the day!]

The surrounding boys' and even grown-up men's eyes shone brightly at her words and they cheered in a chorus of voices.

However, Lilith's sweet smile turned into an evil one when she said.

[But I only want one of you...] Lilith said and she placed one of her dainty fingers on her delicate chin [...so how about you, guys... beat the heck out of each other and the winner get and exclusive date with me!]

The men and boy surrounding her were completely entranced. Following these words, one of the most fierce brawls in the history of Akihabara district took place in that Saturday. (3)

After that incident Lilith's friends began to look at Lilith differently; today they have had the chance to see a side of Lilith that they have never known of before – a rather sly and mean side of her...a dangerous side.

Akihiko especially didn't have the courage to look her in the eyes anymore. He had thought himself to be amazing for not losing himself in the presence of a Veela before but it was only today that he realized that he stood no chance in front of the allure of a Veela when she actually tried. His self-esteem was at an all-time low.

[I've heard before that Bulgaria's Quidditch national team has a... 'a flock' is correct, right? ...hm whatever, haha!]

[Anyway, as I was saying, I heard that Bulgaria's team has a flock of Veela for mascots. When I read in newspapers that Veela's allure makes a lot of men literally lose their minds I thought that it was the reporters exaggerating...However, seeing is believing.] Akane said still in awe and slight shock at the event that happened not even 2 hours ago.

The rest mutely agreed with her... but Hanabi's expression suddenly changed when a thought appeared in her mind.

[Ne, Lilith, you said that a mature Veela's charm is even stronger than that of a teen like you, didn't you?]

[Of course. After all, it's not only the Veela's magic that has a big impact on men's mind. The allure basically enhances men's attraction to a Veela's body. So of course a mature Veela's allure would be stronger given that her body is more attractive than that of a child.] Lilith confirmed before saying in a condescending tone, reminiscent of how she used to act most of the time before meeting Harry:

[Men are just like animals. They only think about food and sex. Pathetic!]

Before, when Lilith said these kind of misandrous things Akihiko used to jump forward and said that he was an "exception to the rule". But now he didn't have the face to even look at her anymore.

[Then... how the freaking hell is your boyfriend not affected even by your mother's allure?!] Hanabi exclaimed. Yuri, her elder sister, didn't admonish her for the cussing as even she was surprised at this feat after witnessing just what a powerful effect a Veela's allure had on men.

[Dad said that only the extremely strong-willed men can withstand it. Them or those skilled in Occlumency. As a matter of fact, Dad had given his all when he was young to master Occlumency for the sole purpose of being able to date mom properly.] Lilith said with a small giggle.

[Well, enough of that, we should eat the dinner before it gets too late. You wouldn't want to gain weight for eating late at night, would you?] Yuri said and clapped her hands as to get everyone up.

Akane, Lilith and Akihiko were all staying at Hanabi's home in this weekend after she invited them to celebrate Lilith's birthday.

Hanabi was a half-blood Witch - her mother was a Witch while her father was a Muggle. However, her father divorced her mother after a few years of marriage. He couldn't handle the fact that his wife and his daughters were superior to him in most things so he decided to leave them. But Hanabi's mother had loved her husband dearly. Therefore, as a result of their divorce, she threw herself into her work, leaving Hanabi most of the time in Yuri's care. That being said, Hanabi's parents were never home, Yuri being the real mother-figure in Hanabi's life. And there weren't many things that Yuri ever forbid Hanabi to do as long as they didn't harm her. Thus, Hanabi often brought over her friends during weekends or threw parties at her home.

[Well then, who wants to help me in the kitchen?] Yuri asked.

Hanabi and Akihiko hurriedly made themselves scarce.

[That brat...I think I may have spoiled her too much.] Yuri said while shaking her head but there was no real heat in her voice. Instead, her gaze was still affectionate as she looked towards Hanabi's retreating back.

[These two, they fight each other every day but they're surprisingly similar in many more things than they'd like to admit.] Akane remarked in amusement.

 _Scene break_

In the end it was Lilith and Akane that remained to help Yuri with cooking. They've been at it for half an hour when they suddenly heard Hanabi screaming from the living room:

[OMG!]

[Lilith, come quickly quickly! Your Harry is on the Muggle local news!]

[What are you talking about?] Lilith shouted back from the kitchen.

[Just come, quickly!] Hanabi yelled.

Lilith put down the knife with which she had been cutting carrots and left the kitchen. But Akane and Yuri went into the living room as well out of curiosity.

Written with large and bold Japanese characters was: [Shocking Scene Surprised By a Traffic Enforcement Camera] and a pixelated photo of a young Caucasian teen covered the screen. In the corner of the screen there was a warning sign forbidding children younger than 12 to watch the video due to the "extreme violence" it contained.

 _Throwback to around 3 o'clock in the morning_ _(4)_

"You came to Japan but you have not even asked where is the Ministry?" Irene asked incredulously.

"Of course I didn't. This fucking portkey was supposed to get me directly into its fucking Atrium." Harry said as he kicked the now used portkey into one of the walls of the buildings near him.

Just like Harry said, the portkey was supposed to teleport him into the Atrium of Japan's Ministry of Magic. However, what Harry didn't know was that when his magic went berserk, it affected everything around him, the portkey included. In fact, Harry and Irene should consider themselves lucky for not having been ripped to pieces. Had Athena not encased Harry in that protective membrane of light, the scene from the Inner World of the Gorgoneion where Harry's rage manifested through a hurricane would have happened in the real, physical world. Athena could have just let Harry's magic rampage in reality...but what would have happened if a hurricane - even a small sized one - had hit a great city like London? Thousands of innocent people would have lost their lives.

Back to the matter hand, it was a miracle that the portkey only teleported Harry and Irene somewhere in Tokyo and that it didn't break during the travel, ripping their bodies to shreds. Portkeys accidents did not happen often...but they were similar to Muggle planes accidents: although they rarely occurred, there was no surviving from them. But as they say, ignorance is bliss. Irene and Harry simply thought that the portkey's wrong destination was due to that Ministry official's incompetence.

"Well, your Translation Charms didn't really help." Harry said in a rather biting tone.

Surprisingly enough, unlike her usual timid and meek self, Irene shot back with the same heat:

"I'm expecting you to kneel in front of me when this works."

They have arrived in Tokyo 15 minutes ago. But if London was considered a great city when it comes to its size...well...Tokyo was humongous even when compared to London. It was more than 10 times larger... and Harry and Lilith were lost in such an almost country-sized city while speaking a different language. Not to mention that it was in the late hours of the night.

The Translation Charms were like a dictionary: they translated single words well, but when it came to translating sentences, that was when everything went to hell. Not to mention how retarded Harry and Irene both felt when noticing how the Japanese people with whom they interacted winced after hearing them speak. Apparently their Japanese was worse than horrible. They also didn't know how could they ask Muggles for information about Wizards... In fact, they wouldn't know how to ask for that even if they were to talk to English Muggles. So it goes without saying that Harry and Irene were starting to get frustrated.

"Sigh, I think we should wait until morning comes. There aren't even that many people on the streets at such a late hour in the night. And those that are still awake and roaming the streets right now are usually not the kind of people you'd like to talk too much to." Harry said and Irene agreed with him. They decided to look for a hotel to stay for what was left of the night.

But true to Harry's words, just then, five guys that had just come out of a club passed by them. They were all drunk.

Suddenly, one of them turns his head towards Irene and slurred:

[Oi, guys, did you see that chick? She's a foreigner...and she's a total hottie!]

Spurned by his words, the other guys turned their heads as well and started to approach Irene.

"Hey, miss a second wait you!" one of them tried to say in English.

Harry cursed under his breath.

"Fuck!"

"What happened?" Irene asked in a whisper.

"Those idiots behind are looking for trouble. Quicken your steps and don't look back. Don't pay attention to them no matter what they say because if you do, they'll not stop following you unless the cops forces them."

Although Harry said these words, he felt ill. He couldn't start running because the amount of blood he had lost made him feel dizzy.

[Is that bitch ignoring us?]

One of them who was not that drunk began to run and cut Irene's and Harry's way.

[Why don't you come with us, cutie?]

[Let's have some fun!]

The Translation Charms let Irene and Harry understand only a few broken words from what they said but it was obvious what they wanted.

"Irene, why have you not taken your wand out yet?!" Harry nearly yelled at her.

"But the Statute of Secrecy-"

"Would you rather break that shitty law or get raped?"

Irene's face paled at Harry's words. But she didn't have the chance to take out her wand anymore seeing as one of them grabbed her by the arm from behind. Irene shrieked and stumbled when she jerked her arm away from his grasp.

Harry inwardly cursed. His wand was useless to him right now because his reserves of magic were completely emptied by that extremely dangerous bout of accidental magic which 'killed' Athena. He couldn't even cast a _Lumos_ if he wanted.

One of the thugs tried to grab Irene's arm again but Harry suddenly caught his wrist in a steel-like hold. Harry didn't have any magic left - of that he was clearly aware - but now that his magic was next to non-existent in his body, for the first time in his entire life Harry felt a mysterious energy slumbering inside his body. An energy different from magic. Even before, when his control over his magic had been jumbled after Athena possessed him to save his hide from Dumbledore, Harry had noticed that his ability to levitate things had been completely unaffected. Back then he had just shrugged it off as an anomaly, but now he understood the reason behind it: the ability to cast spells and the ability to use telekinesis and to enforce his physical strength were fuelled by two completely different energies. He didn't have a plausible theory regarding this but now was not the time for him to ponder about such things.

Harry grabbed the older male's wrist and enforced by what he used to call as "telekinesis", he clenched his fingers around it with all his strength. A blood curdling scream escaped from that guy's throat as the radial bone and the ulna in his forearm were crushed into splinters.

For a moment, the other 4 guys were stunned speechless. But Harry didn't take his time to rejoice over his small achievement and instead jumped immediately towards the next one closest to him. That guy's moment of surprise and his drunken state made his reaction speed drop twofold. By the time his brain reacted, Harry was already in front of him. A devastatingly powerful kick nailed him in the stomach. A large glob of blood burst from his mouth and he collapsed on the floor unconscious, his body twitching and convulsing as though he was being electrocuted.

When the second one of them collapsed on the hard asphalt the remaining thugs were shaken out of their stupor. They threw themselves in their drunken rage at Harry, without trying to think what was the reason behind a 12 year old pipsqueak easily and brutally beating down two guys twice as large as him.

[You little shit!]

[Kill him!]

Just like when he had almost slit his own throat a year ago, a crazy, maniacal laughter came from Harry's. He was already barely holding in his rage after what Sirius had done to him two hours ago and he had had yet to find a chance to consciously vent it.

Something inside him snapped.

A beast was unleashed.

He let out a shout and he threw himself towards the three remaining thugs, the asphalt cracking like a spider web under his feet.

[Aaargh!]

A desperate howl of agony.

With a strong kick Harry had viciously shattered a thug's knees.

"Who kills whom now, huh? Come at me you fucking bastards!" Harry screamed like a madman and plunged towards the other two.

His speed was inhuman. He was like a machine programmed to destroy. The two didn't have the slightest time to react. To them it felt as if he had teleported himself in front of them. Harry's fist met one of the thugs' torso and a resounding crack was heard. The man was blown 10 feet away where he collapsed screaming in pain.

The only remaining thug threw a wide punch at Harry, hitting him in the jaw. A resounding crack was heard again...but it wasn't from Harry's jaw. The thug's wrist had broken and the knuckles of his hand looked as if he had just smashed his fist against a concrete wall. He was now incapacitated...but Harry wouldn't leave it a that. Although his jaw for some reason didn't hurt at all, something inside him felt as if its pride had been wounded. It wanted him to get even with it.

"My turn!" Harry grinned and he jumpedhigh up in the air. His knee violently smashed against the thug's chin and a sickening sound accompanied by screams broke the silence of the night for the last time.

Not a second later, the adrenaline in his system was flushed away and Harry collapsed on the side-walk like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

It was only then that Irene recovered from her shock. The one-sided slaughter - it couldn't be called a fight - had lasted less than 30 seconds but to Irene it had felt like an eternity. As though she had been watching a film in slow-motion, Irene had seen it all: Harry's lethality, the peculiar glint in his heterochromatic eyes, the way bones were crushed, broken...she was terrified. Above all, she could simply not fathom just how could a scrawny 12 year old boy be capable of something like this - even a grown up adult, even a martial artist would have serious troubles in handling 5 other guys alone, by himself...yet just now, in front of her very eyes, a child had annihilated 5 grown up men in less than a minute!

Harry groaned weekly and tried to reinforce his body again but this time just for the simple task of managing to walk. With heavy steps, he came at Irene's side and knelt beside her.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked and Irene was rendered speechless by the shocking contrast between how he acted now and how vicious he had been just a few seconds before.

The sincere concern she saw his eyes radiating befuddled her.

 _'Is he perhaps suffering of multiple personalities disorder? H-How can these eyes be the same with those from less than a minute ago?!'_

Harry touched her hand trying to get her to stand up but Irene instinctively flinched. A sad look flashed through his eyes at Irene's reaction but she noticed it...and she felt a great regret in that moment.

 _'He had just saved me from a fate worse than death...everything he did, that extreme violence and brutality was for my sake...yet this is how I'm thanking him?'_

Harry retracted his hand but then he was taken by surprise when Irene engulfed him into a tight embrace and hot tears began to fall from her cheeks on the back of his neck.

"Thank you!"

She didn't say any fancy words. She didn't say anything else. But the way she said them made Harry feel her heartfelt gratitude and her tight hold on him made him understand that she accepted him regardless of the previous display of brutality.

Harry felt his heart stir and a feeling of happiness flooded his entire being. He didn't understand why, but for some reason, knowing that someone accepted him made him feel extremely happy and grateful... his mind may have forgotten Athena's death, but his heart seemed to have not. And now he unconsciously treasured those close to him much more than ever.

He lifted his arms and hugged Irene back in an embrace just as a tight as hers.

"No need to thank me." Harry said softly. "You're my sister."

* * *

AN:

(1) He's implying that he's related to Bill Gates lol.

(2) If you feel that I exaggerated with how guys reacted to Lilith's allure...well, I'm actually not. Remember the Quidditch Cup in canon? One hundred Veela drove mad the entire arena of tens of thousands of wizards. Also, do you remember the guys trying to impress the Veela from the forest? They said that they were Dragon slayers and Vampire hunters; the dude from the Knight Bus even said said that he will be the youngest Minister of Magic in history...and Ron bragged that he had invented a broom that could fly to Jupiter lol.

(3) It was a scene from "Horns" that inspired me lol. "Horns" is a 2013 movie in which Daniel Radcliffe played.

(4) Just in case you didn't know, there is a difference of 9 hours between UK and Japan.

 _(I'm not an English native and this chapter has not been proofread by my beta either. Sory for any mistakes I may have made.)_


	38. Chapter 38 - The Start of Love

**_AN1_** : It's been a quite long hiatus (for my standards at least), of almost 2 months. I had 5 re-examinations to go to - you know, those exams you haven't passed or haven't been able to go to and you get a second chance to take them but usually the subjects are a bit harder. Anyway, I managed to take them all and with pretty high marks at that (I might even get a scholarship lol). Besides that, I also have this job where I work 12 hours/day and 4 days/week. That being said I hardly had any free time on my hands... Even now, this chapter I'm updating it from my phone while I'm working (it's 1 pm here)

 _ **AN2** : One of my most loyal readers asked me if I have a pic of how do I imagine Lilith to look like...I searched on google and I found a pic that I think it's the closest to what I imagine. Even Lilith's hairstyles in this chapter is somewhat similar to the one in the pic - said photo is the new cover of this fic. (I don't own any rights over the pic.)_

Anyway, my long-ass AN is over, enjoy!

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

[Hello] - Japanese language

* * *

 **Chapter 38 - The Start of Love**

 _Flashback_

 _[How would I describe him? Umm...Independent, very intelligent and... dangerous.]_

 _[Dangerous?] Yuri asked with a laugh._

 _Contrary to Yuri's laughter, Lilith had a dead serious expression on her face._

 _[No, you don't understand.] Lilith said and shook her head. [He really is dangerous. The most dangerous person I have ever met until now in my life.]_

 _[...]_

 _However, at Lilith's words Yuri just laughed. She was 20 years old, it was natural for her to not take seriously someone of Harry's and Lilith's age._

 _'Just how dangerous could a 12 year old brat be? Haha.'_

 _Flashback end_

Yuri was momentarily stunned. She remembered laughing in derision at Lilith's words the previous day when she told them that Harry was the most dangerous person she had ever met. Yuri thought that it was just the biased point of view of a little girl who also happened to have a crush on him. But now, after watching the short footage on the news she felt a chill go down her spine.

And it wasn't only Yuri that was recalling Lilith's words about Harry from yesterday. Akane, Hanabi and Akihiko remembered them as well. Initially, they also shrugged these words off as nothing, but now they were hit with the blunt reality.

[Holy crap!] Hanabi eventually exclaimed.

At that moment Lilith was as if she had just been awakened from a reverie.

 _'What in the world is Harry doing in Tokyo? Don't tell me...he came to see me?'_ Lilith thought anxiously, as though she was afraid to get her hopes up for nothing.

 _'But who was that woman whom he was protecting?_ '

Lilith hadn't recognized her sister. It was night and the resolution of the traffic enforcement camera was also not that good seeing as this technology was quite young and only recently implemented. Even Harry would have been hard to recognize had it not been for the enlarged pixelated photo of his face. Besides that, the last time Lilith saw her sister was three years ago, when she was 10.

All kinds of thoughts were flying through her mind and she was in state of turmoil. But she suddenly forced herself to stop her overthinking and under the bewildered stares of her friends, Lilith rushed to Yuri's office. She took a piece of parchment and a quill and began to write hurriedly.

 _Scene break - throwback to last night_

"No need to thank me." Harry said softly. "You're my sister."

Irene's tears continued to fall. It wasn't because she was sad or even scared right now. If anything, she felt relief. But all the previous tension and fear had to be discharged out of her system somehow.

Harry, on the other hand, was barely staying conscious - it was only his sheer will that kept him on his own feet.

 _'What kind of man faints while a woman is crying on his shoulder?'_ was what Harry was telling himself as he struggled to stay awake.

Eventually, Irene's tears dried. But she felt ashamed to lift her head and look Harry in the eyes.

 _'Gosh! Here am I, a 20 year old witch crying on a 12 year old boy's shoulder...'_ she rebuked herself mockingly. But as she thought that, she felt the arms of the boy that was hugging her becoming feeble. Then, it happened: Harry's entire weight fell onto her. The magical, physical, mental and emotional exhaustion had finally caught up to Harry and he lost his consciousness.

Irene didn't panic though. She understood why it happened. She smiled at herself as she kept embracing Harry's scrawny body to her chest...she had always wished for a younger sibling on whom she could dote on. But because of her past circumstances she couldn't bring herself to do that with Lilith. With Harry, however, it would be different. At least she hoped so.

Eventually, Irene woke up from her happy world and realized that they were currently in the middle of the street, in the thick of the night, in Tokyo. That was no place to be daydreaming. She picked her wand from where she had dropped it before and cast a Feather-light Charm on Harry. She took him with care and placed him on her back. Right now he didn't weight more than a 3 year-old toddler did. Therefore, although it looked rather weird to see a young woman carrying a teenager on her back, Irene was not bothered by it...especially not after what Harry had just done for her!

She walked until she arrived in front of a 5 stars hotel - she had been raised in luxury by the Argyris after all - and entered it. Her fortune was that the receptionist knew how to speak English. With her help, she exchanged her GBP into Japanese Yens and booked one room for the night.

 _Scene break - current day, in the evening_

"Shouldn't we be looking for a way to get in contact with the wizarding community instead of strolling through all these shops?" Harry asked, boredom dripping from his voice.

"I have already my sent Patronus four times to search since noon until now, there's nothing else we can really do anyway." Irene said. She appeared to be quite tired but she was still in a very good mood.

The Patronus Charm was only visible to wizards so she had been sending them out patrolling for the sake of attracting the attention of any wizard or Non that happened to be nearby. However, so far it yielded no results.

"You mean those ghost-like skunks?" Harry asked sniggering.

Irene went red in the face. Maybe it was anger, maybe it was embarrassment, or maybe it was a combination of both.

"For the last time, it's a squirrel, not a skunk! You hear me? A SQUIRREL!" the normally shy Irene actually yelled, making quite a few people in the shop turn their heads at her.

"That's one big ass squirrel tho..." Harry trailed off and burst into an uproarious laughter. Of course, he had to dodge after that the sharp heels of a pair of shoes but that only increased his amusement.

"Tsk. If only you knew just how hard it is to cast that spell! Fully grown-up wizards struggle with it and there are even teachers at Hogwarts that are unable to cast it."

Harry's ears immediately perked up at her words.

"Why would it be that hard?"

"That... is for me to know and for you to find out. Ha!" Irene laughed and she did it quite smugly at that, proud of finally getting one over Harry.

Harry kept a sullen expression for almost half an hour after that.

"What are we even doing here now?" Harry asked, his expression still sullen.

"Why, don't tell me that after weeks of not talking to Lilith at all, you'll go meet her without even bringing her a flower?"

Harry didn't seem to get her point.

"I already bought her a present though.."

Irene felt a headache incoming. Harry was very sharp in regards to most things, but when it came to his social skills he was terrible.

"You see," Irene started "girls are different from boys. While you look at flowers as at something just a bit prettier than grass, most girls are charmed by them. Giving a girl a flower will most likely make her very happy." Irene explained as though she was talking to a kindergarten child, not a teenager.

But Harry felt like face-palming himself at her words.

"Are girls really that simple-minded?" he asked.

"You...! Argh, you really deserve to be spanked!" Irene said in exasperation.

She was usually timid and most people have never seen her getting riled up over anything. Yet, she only knew Harry for a day and he had gotten under her skin for more than 5 times already.

"Anyway, just come already!"

Two hours later Harry stopped in the middle of a shop and simply refused to move anymore. Black lines were already forming on his forehead. The reason for that was the five bags and the flower he was carrying.

"If you want to go anywhere else, you might as well take your damned bags and go. Godspeed!" he said irritated.

Irene finally stopped from her shopping spree when she realized that she could simply not drag Harry around anymore.

"Alright, alright. We'll take these bags home and then we'll go to Akihabara, what do you say?" Irene suggested, secretly wishing to see if Harry could at least for once act like it was normal for his age.

Irene was not very knowledgeable about Japan, she only knew some general information about it. And amongst the things she knew was that Akihabara was one of the most popular places for the teenagers living in Tokyo and not only. It was filled with gaming centres and all kinds of merchandise could be bought from there. She hoped that Harry will also be attracted by it.

Harry's face, however, was quite pale and he was starting to feel sluggish. He lost a large quantity of blood the previous day during his altercation with Sirius. Right now he should have been drinking a Blood-Replenishing potion, eating some meat and resting in bed instead of walking around Tokyo aimlessly.

Harry sighed:

"Look, Irene, can't we just go back to the hotel already? I'd rather get some sleep instead of going to some stupid gaming centre."

But Irene didn't get the chance to reply before an average-sized brown owl appeared in her field of view. While normally she would feel vexed at receiving a letter in the middle of a crowd of Muggles, this time Irene felt happy at its sight because that meant that the Patronus charms she had casted had not been in vain. At least that's what she thought. However, to her bewilderment, the owl headed towards Harry instead.

[Is that an owl? Weren't owls supposed to be nocturnal?]

[Amazing!]

[Is it actually carrying...a letter?!]

[Wait, how did it get in here?]

[Are those two foreigners filming a movie?]

These and other similar things were exclaiming the Muggles around Harry and Irene but the two didn't pay them any mind. Not only that they couldn't really understand their words but they were also more concerned with the contents of the letter.

Harry unfurled the piece of parchment and before his eyes fell on the lines written in there, a sweet fragrance of lavender pervaded his nose. It felt absurd to him, but even before looking at the bottom of the letter to see who was the sender, Harry just knew that it was Lilith who sent it. That's because to him the scent of the perfume she always wore was unmistakable.

 _Dear idiot,_

 _Three weeks have passed since school started and you haven't even bothered to send me a letter!_

 _Yet just now I saw you on TV on the local news beating people up and acting like your old barbarian self. What in the name of Merlin are you doing in Tokyo?_

 _Meet me at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building asap. If you don't come, guess who'll get thrown offfrom the top of a cliff during the Christmas holiday? (1)_

 _Lilith._

Finishing reading the letter Harry had to put in a lot of effort not to burst into laughter.

"That's- that's definitely something Lilith would say, alright." Harry snickered "But so much for me trying to surprise her..." he said and sighed in disappointment.

 _Scene break_

Although Harry and Irene didn't know where was Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, even with their broken Japanese, they managed to get directions from the locals. Said building was one of the tallest and best known skyscrapers in Tokyo. There was no Japanese that didn't know of it. In less than half an hour, the two of them managed to arrive at the location.

"Will you stop it already?!" Harry asked in annoyance an Irene who was snapping photos continuously all the while having a very uncharacteristic shit-eating grin on her face.

The reason for Irene's good mood was the sight in front of her eyes: Harry was pacing rather nervously at the meeting place and she was having the time of her life seeing him so flustered. Irene was definitely going to tease him for a long time about it in the future.

What Harry didn't know though, was that Lilith wasn't faring any better, her friends being just as amused of her behaviour as Irene was of Harry's.

 _With Lilith and her friends_

[OMG! The perfect Lilith-ojou-sama is actually using make-up? It must be the end of the world!] Hanabi threw her hands in the air and yelled.

[Stop being so overly dramatic!] Lilith snapped at her, but a pink hue was already colouring her normally pale white cheeks. And no, that wasn't the make-up.

Yuri, Hanabi's older sister, took pity on the flustered teenager and decided to help her out and to free her of Hanabi's teasing. After getting her little sister out of the bathroom, Yuri came to Lilith and said:

[Come here, let me help you. First, you don't need to put any powder on your face. Look, your complexion if truly perfect, you have no flaw that needs to be covered. Your jaw and your cheekbones are also perfectly outlined... *sigh* you're...you're so beautiful! Now wash off that powder immediately!]

Lilith would not even blink at someone complimenting her beauty, but in her current situation she really needed to hear those words. She knew she was very beautiful - no Veela in existence was ugly - but just like any other girl of her age that was about to meet her crush, deep down, a few insecurities had begun to eat at her confidence.

Therefore, unusually obedient and with none of her usual attitude of superiority, Lilith meekly did just as Yuri instructed her, washing the badly applied make-up off her face.

[My personal opinion is that you shouldn't apply any make-up at all - you're too beautiful for that. And you're just 13 years old. You don't need it! BUT, you can style your hair...I'll make you look even more gorgeous than you already are!]

 _Scene break_

Dressed in the stylish, brand new clothes that Irene had bought for him in her 'shopping spree', Harry was rather anxiously pacing back and forth, waiting for Lilith. He was wearing a pair of fashionably ripped black jeans, a white t-shirt and a denim blue vest on top. Harry's rather trendy street style outfit coupled with his bright heterochromatic silver and green eyes and with him being a foreigner turned quite a few heads. There were even some of the older teenage girls that - much to Harry's embarrassment - asked Irene if they could take a picture with her "little brother".

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, when the sun begun to set, Harry's steps abruptly came to a halt and he almost lost his breath at the sight in front of his eyes: accompanied by 3 other girls, Lilith finally arrived at the meeting point. However, Harry barely took notice of them, his eyes were glued only on her.

Lilith was breathtakingly beautifully, even more than usual. She was wearing a pair of overwashed denim shorts on top of black stockings both of which were outlining the perfect shape of her legs and hips. A black, high-cropped tank covered the upper part of her torso, exposing her thin waist and flat midriff and on her feet she wore a pair of white New Balance sneakers. What made Harry's breathing nearly stop, though, was her brilliant silvery-white hair. Yuri had styled Lilith's hair into a thick and messy side-braid that was resting on the left side of her chest and reached even below her waist, the lustrous silvery colour making a startling contrast the black of her top.

Harry was stunned. He had never seen Lilith being dressed in such a provocative outfit and he had never seen her so dolled-up until that moment. He had already had troubles with keeping a clear mind around her in some moments because of how beautiful she was, but after seeing her like this it was as if some circuits in his brain got fried.

Harry and Lilith stopped in front of each other, with both Irene and Lilith's friends staying at a little distance away from them, curious to see the two young teenagers interacting. But the two of them were staring at each other as though they had lost themselves in a world of their own.

"Hi!" Lilith eventually said and right at that time it happened that the street lights were lighted up.

In Harry's eyes the golden light of the lampposts made Lilith's silvery-white hair sparkle brilliantly and a whisper escaped from him without him even being fully aware of it:

"So pretty!"

Lilith's heart skipped a beat at his whispered words and she looked at her feet biting her lower lip shyly, and blushing furiously. Even she felt that her choice of clothes was something her mother, Galatea, would admonish her for but after seeing her crush's dazed expression it made her feel that it was totally worth it.

[They're completely smitten with each other!] Yuri said with a giggle and Hanabi and Akane accompanied her laughter.

[I think Akihiko did well to remain at home. He would've become green with envy at seeing how much these two are crushing on each other.] Hanabi said and laughed rather gloatingly for some weird reason. There was a very satisfied expression of schadenfreude on her face.

[Speaking of, isn't the woman behind Lilith's boyfriend the one whom he had protected in that video on news?] Akane remarked when her sharp red eyes noticed Irene and distinguished the similarities between her and the one she had seen in the video. She wasn't a half-bakeneko girl for no reason, her eyesight was much better than that of ordinary people.

As Lilith's friends headed towards Irene, Harry and Lilith were finally awoken from their reverie and they became aware of the fact that they were in the middle of the street and that, besides that their friends were staring and laughing at them, they were in front of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building! As of now, there were already over 50 passers-by that had stopped at a few tens of feet close to them after being attracted by Lilith who was unconsciously projecting her allure in a subconscious desire to charm her love interest. A biting feeling of embarrassment washed over Harry and Lilith and both of their faces turned red when they realized their situation.

But then, a daring - actually crazy - idea suddenly popped into Harry's mind.

"Lilith, can you cast an Disillusionment Charm?"

Although momentarily thrown off by his seemingly random question, Lilith said:

"Yes, but-"

She didn't have to ask as Harry answered the question she was about to voice out as he took out from his pocket an object that looked like a trinket used to decorate one's bundle of keys.

"Cast one on this, quickly!" Harry demanded, hurrying her. Lilith ending up making it invisible without taking a good look at it.

"Now cast one Disillusionment Charm on each one of us!" Harry instructed.

Lilith was about to protest, but one look at Harry's expectant eyes made her follow his words obediently, disregarding her normal disposition to not let herself being bossed around by anyone. Lilith stealthily flicked her ivory-white wand at Harry and an uncomfortable feeling washed over him, as though someone just broke an egg on the top of his head and let its contents flow down his hair. By the time he recollected himself, Harry only saw the last two twirls of the motion Lilith did with her wand above her head in order to make herself invisible.

A chorus of surprised cries exploded from the crowd when they saw the two teenagers all of a sudden disappearing from their view and Irene and Lilith's friends were similarly no less shocked than the Muggles.

"What now?" Lilith asked Harry excitedly. She had just broken the Statute of Secrecy in front of nearly one hundred Muggles but doing such a thing together with Harry filled her with a feeling of euphoria. In her eyes Harry was the epitome of the _'bad boy'_ type and her breaking the law and doing something that would categorize her as _'bad girl'_ only made her feel as if the two of them just became much closer.

"Watch and see!" Harry said, his voice betraying his own excitement.

 _"Engorgio!"_ he chanted and the trinket in his right hand enlarged till the point that it became longer than his own body's height.

"A BROOMSTICK?!" Lilith yelled. Although it was disillusioned, she could recognize what it was by the shape of distortion its margins caused in the space. "Don't tell me...!" she said in disbelief, not sure what to choose between feeling terribly excited or scared at Harry's bat-shit crazy idea.

"Shut-up and climb on it already!" Harry yelled back at her and laughed as he mounted his disillusioned Nimbus 2001.

Lilith jumped right behind him in a heartbeat and her slender arms sneaked around Harry's waist.

"Grab onto me tightly!" Harry said and Lilith barely had the time to tighten her hold on him before he kicked the ground hard, the charmed broom explosively charging high up in the air at a crazy-steep angle.

Unknowingly, the two teenagers both released an exhilarating yell at the same time as they sped through the skyscrapers into Tokyo's rapidly darkening sky. They both loved flying immensely.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building was nearly 800 feet tall and one of the tallest structures in Tokyo, yet even such a tall building was way below the altitude at which Harry and Lilith were currently flying.

It was the evening of late Spetember day and the air was pretty chilly at over 1000 feet in altitude. But the adrenaline coursing through the two teenagers' bodies made them barely register it. Harry was too absorbed by the wonderful feeling of Lilith pressing her chest against his back and Lilith herself was too exhilarated to care about a trivial thing such as the cold.

Tightly hugging Harry's torso to her chest and with her chin resting on his shoulder she whispered as they both admired the breath-taking scenery of Tokyo from above, during night time.

"So beautiful!"

Theyy floated in the skies, above the city, for a long while, neither of them saying anything, simply enjoying each other's company. At some point, however, Harry felt Lilith's body shivering against him.

"Are you cold? Do you want us to go down?"

"No!" Lilith said despite that she was starting to feel the chill in the air. She just wanted to spend more time with Harry, she knew that such a chance when they could be alone, only the two of them, would rarely come by in the future.

"Let's go there instead" she said and pointed towards the roof of one of the twin towers of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.

The two of them landed on the roof and sat as close to the edge as possible without endangering their safety. Harry took off his vest and covered the shivering Lilith with it. What he failed to notice though, was the cunning glint that flashed through her baby-blue eyes.

"I'm still cold." Lilith said and using that as an excuse, she pressed her body into Harry who instinctively put his arms around her. Lilith nestled her body closer to his until she actually got in front of him, with her back against his chest and she rested her head on Harry's cheek.

As Lilith wiggled against him to sit comfortably and when her sweet lavender fragrance entered his nostrils, Harry's entire body began to radiate heat. Harry's face flushed a deep red when he felt his lower body becoming active and he tried to distance himself from the girl in his arms. Lilith's face similarly turned crimson when she felt something poking her but instead of letting Harry distance himself from her, she grabbed his hands and put them on her tummy as she pressed herself against his chest to close back the distance that Harry tried to put between their bodies.

"Please stay." Lilith pleaded and although Harry didn't trust his voice to say something, he nodded against her head, letting Lilith know of his answer.

After a while Harry's rush went down and he began to genuinely enjoy hugging Lilith's lithe body. And, as though she felt that Harry started to became more comfortable with her, Lilith began to speak:

"You have now idea how happy I am that you came to see me, Harry. You haven't sent me any letters at all since school started..."

"I-, I have never expected you to come all the way from Scotland to Japan just to see me. I-, I didn't even think you cared about me enough to remember my birthday." Lilith said in a barely audible voice, and Harry was startled at how vulnerable she sounded. It was a completely different Lilith from the one he remembered. In his memories Lilith was a very arrogant girl, with a haughty attitude and a superiority complex. He had never seen her opening herself up like that, he had never seen her looking so vulnerable.

Harry realized then that Lilith's fairy-like beauty was not a blessing entirely. Although on one hand Lilith was so beautiful that even someone as attractive as half-bakeneko older girl considered her superior, on the other hand, like any other exceptional individual, Lilith had been doomed to a life of loneliness. Harry finally understood clearly that just like he had unknowingly come to think of Lilith as his best friend, she was looking at him the same way. He had thought before that Lilith simply had a minor crush on him for having saved her life from the troll, but Harry realized now that her feelings for him were probably running deeper than that. And that, like the insensitive prick he was, it had taken him more than a year of living together with her for him to finally realize it.

"I'm sorry." Harry mumbled against her hair.

Lilith tilted her head sideways and looked at him with a fervent look in her eyes. An expression full of passion marred her angelic face and the Veela allure completely broke out of its shackles. Harry's mind went blank. His heterochromatic eyes bored into her burning blue ones and he unconsciously brought his face closer to her. His eyes trailed from hers to her lips and right at that time, out of instinct, Lilith's tongue seductively licked her lips, wetting them. Her now glistening lips parted and her hot breath blew on Harry's quivering lips. Their lips were almost touching...they could almost taste each other's breath...

It wasn't clear who jumped first, who was the one who couldn't take it anymore, but they crashed their lips against each other. It was the first kiss for both of them, they didn't know how to do it properly but their passion filled in the gaps.

The muffled moan of ecstasy that escaped from Harry throat nearly drove Lilith crazy. She rapidly turned with her body to face him and wrapped her slender arms around his neck, aggressively pushing his head from behind against her lips. She straddled him and her stocking-clad legs wrapped tightly and erotically around his waist bringing her body closer to him. Her unknowingly grinding against Harry made him moan in ecstasy once again and nearly lose his mind. He instinctively grabbed her from her ass and pushed her against him, this time both moaning into each other's mouths at their lower bodies pressing against each other.

One of Lilith's arms tugged to Harry's shirt and she was about to lift it when-

 _*Boom!*_

A deafening explosion of fireworks detonated in the sky and Lilith and Harry were forcefully shaken awake from their frenzied lust. As though they just woke up from a dream, they couldn't believe their eyes at the position they were in: Lilith was straddling him, with her arms and legs sultrily wrapped around his body and Harry's hands were tightly cupping the cheeks of her butt...they could not believe what they had been about to do.

Right then it was as if the time went still, both staring deep into each others eyes, with none of them making a move to get out of each other's arms. It was as though they both understood that those were the last precious moments they'll get to spend like that in a very, very long while and although neither voiced it, their eyes betrayed their desire to enjoy it for as much as they could, for as long as it lasted.

 _*Boom*_

Another explosion rocked the skies and the dark of the night was lighted once again by the bright red colour of the gigantic fireworks.

When the sound of the second fireworks detonating reached their ears, as on cue, Harry and Lilith both jumped from each other arms at the same time. For a few extremely awkward moments they stood with their backs turned at each other, none of them having the courage to look at the other.

But as he was trying to find something to distract himself with, by coincidence, Harry's eyes fell on the golden wristwatch that Hector and Galatea had gifted him that summer, on his birthday.

The hands of the watch indicated 12:01 am. It was Lilith's birthday.

Happy that there was something else that he could focus on instead of thinking at the steamy moments from before, Harry took out a very small black box from one of his pockets.

"I didn't come to see you empty-handed, you know?" Harry said as he approached Lilith. "I had bought you a present... I-, I hope you like it." Harry said and showed Lilith the golden snake curled in his palm.

"A s-snake?" Lilith stuttered, unsure of how to react.

"Touch it! Don't worry, it doesn't bite." Harry said with a small chuckle.

Lilith looked at the small golden snake, then at Harry's face and then back at the snake. Hesitatingly, and with her dainty index finger quivering, she lightly tapped on the tail of the snake.

It was cold – that was Lilith's first impression upon touching it, but then, a startled yelp escaped from her lips and, before she had the chance to react, the golden snake slithered around her finger and then coiled itself around her wrist. Its length modified to fit her wrist perfectly and when that was done, the snake bit on its own tail and became rigid, transforming into a rather exquisite piece of jewellery, a golden snake bracelet. A snake eating its own tail, the symbol of infinity, immortality and rebirth.

Passing over her initial shock and fear at the snake coiling around her hand, Lilith was genuinely impressed. She was in awe not only at the spells and craftsmanship that took to create such a fine piece of jewellery but at Harry as well for buying it. Lilith was an Argyris - she had lived her entire life in luxury and she loved jewellery just like her mother and grandmother, Galatea and Helen, did. That meant that she was perfectly aware that the bracelet that Harry had gifted her with must have costed a fortune!

In spite of herself, Lilith felt her eyes becoming moist and tears were about to spill from them. She had thought that Harry was only seeing her as an annoyance, that he didn't care about her more than he did for any random acquaintance.

Harry has never showed any signs of liking her back despite the many obvious hints she had dropped during the last months. Her always bothering him and making him chase after her through the woods surrounding the manor...them competing in spell casting...them racing against each other above the Argyris Archipelago...the two of them taking dancing lessons together...her offering him an Undying Purple Orchid...in all these things Lilith had tried to show Harry that she liked him. Last Christmas, by mistake, Harry had even heard her say _"I don't even know why I like him!"._ Yet, despite all these things, Harry had never showed any real interest in her. Even when he boarded the Hogwarts Express, it was her that initiated the hug. And then, Harry had not sent her any letters for 3 weeks! How could Lilith not think that Harry didn't care about her?

That's why, Harry all of a sudden coming all the way from Scotland to Japan made her very emotional. That he had even returned her affection and knowing that he must have spent tens of thousands of galleons just on a gift for her, these things happened too fast and with no warning whatsoever. Lilith was completely overwhelmed. The love she felt for Harry and her happiness were so intense that she was afraid she was going to burst. Or that she was going to wake up like in one of those cliche drama movies and realize that it had all been just a dream. She embraced Harry with all her might and she buried her face into his chest. If this was all a dream she wanted it to never end.

"Thank you!" Lilith weakly muttered with her face hidden in the crook of his neck. Even so, her muffled words of gratitude still reached Harry's ears and he smiled.

In the thick of the night, on the roof of one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, one boy and one girl watched the brilliance of the fireworks-lit night sky as they took comfort into each other's arms.

* * *

AN1: I'm always 'not confident' - that being nicely said - when it comes to writing fluff and especially romance since happy romance seems too cheesy for me and drama sucks big time - you'll rarely see me get too much into it. Hopefully you enjoyed this.

(1) Just in case you have forgotten, the Argyris have the habit of spending their Christmas holiday in Norway, near the coast where you can find lots of fjords...and cliffs. Lots of cliffs.

 _(I'm not an English native and this chapter has not been proofread by my beta either. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)_


	39. Chapter 39 - Feelings

AN:

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

[Hello] - Japanese language

《Hello》- Greek language

* * *

 **Chapter 39 - Feelings**

[Are you sure about that? Those two idiots have already broken the Statute of Secrecy...while, from what I gather, they won't get in very serious trouble for what they did thanks to their connections, I think that us doing the same thing would be taking it too far!] Hanabi's elder sister asked Irene rather worriedly in Japanese, with Akane translating her words into English.

"Don't worry, unless it got on the news and escalated into something really nasty, the Ministry wouldn't find out about them breaking the Statute. After all, their wands were personally made by my grandfather... they don't have the Trace."

Again, Akane translated Irene's words to Yuri who frowned. She felt like it was unfair for her to be the sole voice of reason in the entire group. Hanabi was crazy enough in ordinary days, let alone on special occasions like this one and, if the impression she got about Akane was right, Yuri reckoned that the half-bakeneko would sometimes do some stupid shit just to get out of her seemingly permanent boredom if nothing else. Therefore, Yuri had hoped that at least Irene would be level-headed. However, it was actually the timid-looking girl that was now proposing something outrageous!

On the bright side of things, Yuri was thankful that Akane knew how to speak English fluently. She still hoped that she would manage to convince the Greek witch to stop her reckless idea.

"...Besides, I think we all need to get a little crazy sometimes, don't we? It's not like anyone would actually see us doing anything, anyway." Irene said with an uncharacteristically mischievous smile on her face. She was very excited, like she hadn't been in a very long time. Because of her adoptive parents being filthy rich she had been deemed unapproachable by most of her classmates at Beauxbatons. However, her being the "teachers' pet" and her very shy personality - it had been this "combo" that had ensured the fact that she had not been able to make any friends.

That being said, Irene didn't remember ever having as much fun and adventure as she has had with Harry during the last 24 hours. To someone like her that felt...exhilarating.

Conclusion? Harry seemed to have a talent in corrupting the ones surrounding him.

With her eyes pinned on her white gold wristwatch, Irene waited for the middle of the night with continuously rising excitement. Akane looked similarly excited; after all, it wasn't an everyday occurrence to be on top of one of the tallest skyscrapers near to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in the thick of the night and about to do something crazy. The only ones not happy about what was going to happen were Hanabi and Yuri - Yuri because she knew they would get in serious trouble...and Hanabi because she had forgotten her wand back at home; right then Hanabi was feeling like she was missing out on the coolest thing in her life.

[Haa~ you must feel pretty miserable right now, Hanabi-chan~] Akane said with an - in Hanabi's eyes - infuriating grin on her - again in Hanabi's eyes - ridiculously beautiful face.

[Could you at least not rub it in?] Hanabi said through gritted teeth. She wasn't going to take the bait, she wasn't going to give-

[Aaargh! I'll definitely remember this! Mark my words, Akane, I'm not going to let go of this even in death. I'm gonna-]

But Akane no longer tried to make sense of Hanabi's yelled threats and promises of painful death as she burst into laughter. An exceedingly bright smile was on Akane's face - she loved terribly to tease people.

Yuri was about to say something but her mood hit a low. Unlike what Irene's appearance suggested, the Greek witch proved to be very stubborn when she set her mind on something - Yuri understood that she had no real chance to stop what was going to happen in less than 5 minutes. What? Yuri knew that her little sister was batshit crazy, Akane was the type of person to do almost anything, regardless of how stupid it was, as long as that thing brought her out of her boredom and Irene was basically a stranger. Yuri couldn't stop any of them.

That being said, when she realized that she couldn't influence the outcome, just as the clock turned 12, Yuri lightly slapped both of her cheeks at the same time to pump herself up and declared:

[If you can't stop them, join them!]

But when Yuri lifted both of her hands to her face, sneakily and as fast as a mongoose, Hanabi quickly snatched the wand from her pocket.

"Alright, everyone! 3...2...1!" Irene said and lifted her wand towards the skies together with Akane and...and Hanabi! Before Yuri had the chance to stop Hanabi and take her wand back, Irene gave the start:

"Fire!"

Three jets of light burst from the three girls' wands high up in the air where they exploded with a deafening boom.

"Again!"

Another wave of fireworks were shot up in the air where they burst in a dazzling light.

 _'And this one is from your big sister, Lilith! This isn't enough to mend our relationship, but I hope it's a good start!'_ Irene said to herself hopefully.

The Greek witch turned towards the rest of the girls and said:

"Again, one more time!"

But she didn't get into the position to fire and watched instead how Akane and Yuri (who by now had managed to recuperate her wand) fired two more jets of light into the skies.

The fireworks exploded into a brilliant shower of lights once again, but this time, just as they were flickering and about to die down, it was as if they had suddenly been reignited and the randomly scattering particles of light stopped in the air as though the skies themselves had been frozen.

An expression of intense concentration was on Irene's face as she stood with her wand pointed towards the sky. Unlike when she casted spells normally, this time she voiced the incantation to put more power into the spell:

"Flagrate!"

 _Scene break_

"Thank you!" Lilith weakly muttered with her face hidden in the crook of his neck. Even so, her muffled words of gratitude still reached Harry's ears and he smiled.

In the thick of the night, on the roof of one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, one boy and one girl watched the brilliance of the fireworks-lit night sky as they took comfort into each other's arms.

Suddenly, they were both startled when the sky appeared to have been abruptly frozen. When the multi-coloured sparks of light started to move it was as though they were watching a movie. When the movement in the sky stopped, an expression of genuine surprise flashed in Harry's eyes as he had not expected Irene to do something like this. It was Lilith's expression, though, that showed the most emotion. Her eyes were widened in disbelief and she was hiding with a hand her opened mouth.

"You...y-you actually brought her over with you?!"

Her voice was trembling with emotion, she felt like it was surreal. While she and Irene have never had a fight, there has always been like an invisible wall between the of them, a wall which Irene had created with her jealousy. And, especially as a child, that wall had affected Lilith more than she was willing to admit: imagine, it was not only the strangers that marginalized her, but her own sister as well. Irene had treated Lilith as if she didn't exist... That's why, when she saw the scene in Tokyo's night sky, Lilith reacted that way.

With letters dozen of feet in height and composed of red, blue and yellow sparks of light, Irene had written in the sky using the Greek language:

《HAPPY BIRTHDAY!》

《LOVE, IRENE》

Although the fireworks and the nice writing in the sky were not something they had planned on doing before meeting Lilith, for once, Harry read the mood and acted as if what happened had been a part of the plan:

"Let's go to her!" he said and mounted his Nimbus.

 _Scene break_

《Hey!》

《Hey!》

《...Happy Birthday!》

《Thank you!》

One 20, one 13...the two girls looked at each other awkwardly not knowing what to say anymore. After so many years of not talking to each other at all, the two sisters were not unlike strangers. They knew nothing about each other.

《I'm so-》

《How ar-》

Lilith and Irene both spoke at the same time and then stopped, with their eyes trailing to the side awkwardly.

Irene eventually braced herself. She was the older one after all and the situation had developed that way between Lilith and her because of her fault. It wasn't Lilith's fault that she was born with so many gifts.

Therefore, in spite of her timidity, Irene spoke:

《Hey, Lilith. I'm sorry that-》

But Lilith didn't let her finish her words:

《We'll have none of that... How about a fresh start?》

《Hello!》 she said and she extended her right hand for a handshake 《It's nice to meet you! My name is Lilith Argyris... Will you be my sister?》

Despite the guilt Irene was feeling at the moment, hearing Lilith's words, she couldn't help bursting into laughter. She didn't answer, but her taking Lilith into her arms told Lilith everything she needed to know.

 _Scene break_

 _His eyes trailed from hers to her lips and P at that time, out of instinct, her tongue seductively licked her lips, wetting them. Her now glistening lips parted and her hot breath blew on Harry's quivering lips. Their lips were almost touching...they could almost taste each other's breath..._

"Aaaargh!" Harry agonized in embarrassment. Thankfully, his screams were muffled by his pillow.

Back at the hotel, after taking a shower, both Irene and Harry went to sleep in their separate rooms. The last two days have been very emotionally challenging for both of them. On one hand, Irene got lost both in London and Tokyo, was attacked by a small gang of thugs, had to carry an unconscious Harry Potter two times, broke the Statute of Secrecy and then she made up with her sister, finally managing to make peace with her inner demons.

Harry potter on the other hand had had a big fight with Sirius from which he nearly died, got into a brutal street fight with a group of Japanese thugs and then he had his first kiss, he even... Harry couldn't help burying his burning red face into the pillow again.

When his embarrassment subsided a bit, he turned on his back and stared at the ceiling of the room vacantly. His fingers went to his lips which still seemed to burn just at the memory of Lilith's soft lips' touch.

"She kissed me.." Harry murmured dreamily.

Like any other boys his age, Harry has started to become interested in the opposite sex and often wondered ...how does it feel to have a girlfriend? How does a kiss feel like? What does it taste like? And in all of his thoughts, the subject of his minor fantasies has always been, naturally, the most beautiful girl he has ever seen - Lilith.

Harry was not a dense idiot. He has always been conscious of how attractive Lilith was. However, this time Harry felt like just at the sight of her, he lost control over his senses... she was way, way too beautiful this time around. Even now, just remembering her, it made his heartbeats accelerate...and Harry didn't understand the reason. Because he had even danced with her before and hugged her, yet he never lost his mind like he did today just at the sight of her. What Harry didn't know though, was that with Athena now gone, his mind was completely bare, unprotected... that's why, Lilith projecting her allure as wildly as she did and him already feeling attracted to her have led to him falling for her completely.

A new wave of memories flashed through his mind and his body temperature rose up again. He was recalling how her pressing her chest against his back and tightly hugging his waist felt; how her slender arms embraced his neck and roamed through his hair, pressing his head against her, her lips smashing against his hungrily. When he remembered how her legs wrapped around his waist and locked behind his back and how she brushed her lower part against his, all the blood rushed to his head and he began to feel lightheaded. He felt an unbearable fire burning in his stomach and it was as though he was having a fever.

Harry got out of his bed and went to the balcony, hoping that the slightly chilly air of the night would cool him down a bit and that the night view of Tokyo would distract him from his thoughts...because he was getting scared. Scared of what he was feeling. He didn't understand what was happening to him. Why was he feeling like that? Why was his body reacting in that manner?

...Why couldn't he stop thinking about Lilith?

 _Scene break_

Everyone in the house was sleeping. Hanabi and Yuri were sleeping together in Yuri's room, Akihiko slept on a big sofa in the living room while Lilith and Akane slept in Hanabi's bedroom.

Nobody was awake...nobody except for Lilith. She was turning and twisting, trying to get herself a comfortable position to sleep. Just like Harry, she couldn't stop thinking about what transpired between the two of them just a few hours before.

Eventually, the rustling she was making woke up the half-bakeneko girl that was sleeping next to her.

[Can't sleep?] came Akane's sleepy voice and she turned with her face towards Lilith.

[No... sorry, I woke you up with all my rustling.]

Akane sighed but she didn't look like she was mad. Instead, she asked daringly:

[Why? Are you having naughty thoughts about your boyfriend?]

Lilith's face began to burn so hard that she was immensely grateful that the darkness in the room masked it. What she didn't realize was that Akane's eyesight was almost as good in the dark as it was during day. She wasn't a half-bakeneko for no reason; the pupils of her normally slightly slit red eyes were now as round as the moon, conferring her a sight many times superior to that of humans.

[I think I could even boil eggs on your face given how hard you are blushing!] Akane giggled.

[Shut up!] Lilith yelled in a whisper and she turned with her back towards Akane after she realized that she could see her despite the darkness, making the red-eyed girl laugh even more heartily at her embarrassment.

Unlike Harry, Lilith had a much more disciplined mind. It wasn't necessarily because she was superior in that area or because that's how she was born. No, her mental discipline was something acquired, something that she has trained with the help of her mother and grandmother. As a Veela, in order to keep her desires in check and in order to keep her allure from wreaking havoc, Lilith had to have a powerful will and a disciplined mind.

That being said, until Akane brought up Harry again, she had forced her mind to enter a state of blankness, where she didn't think of anything. It didn't work perfectly, but at least she had managed to keep the more steamy memories at bay. With Akane's words however, all her efforts went down the drain and her memories hit her with the intensity of a speeding train. She began to think about how tightly Harry hugged her to his chest, how his lips felt on hers and how his hand grabbed her from her behind, pressing her against his body. When she recalled how he moaned into the kiss she began to shiver uncontrollably and her thighs rubbed against each other.

However, it was the memory of her locking her legs around his waist and grinding into him that made her, just like it made Harry do, bury her face into the pillow and scream in embarrassment, not caring that Akane was laughing her ass off right beside her.

Lilith felt like she was going to die from embarrassment! How could she have done something like that? She had acted just like those mythical nymphomaniac whores that she had heard others talking about!

Sure, from the moment Harry took her on the broom she decided to not let the night end without stealing a kiss from him...but all she had wanted had been a caste kiss...not a full-blown making out session. Her piled-up desire and frustration over the last year, however, made her lose control of herself. Especially when she heard Harry's moan, it was as though the rational side of her was completely buried under lust and instincts to make Harry hers.

And it was in this moment that Lilith realized it herself that Veela truly were different from humans, a different species. She wanted to make Harry hers and only hers and she wanted it now! She wanted to lay in his arms and to stay by his side forever. She even felt like life wouldn't be worth living anymore if she were to ever be rejected by him.

A fear arose in her heart: how was she going to face Harry? What was he thinking about her after how crazily she jumped on him?

Unknowingly, tears began to fall from her eyes and her shivers of desire transformed into those coming from crying.

Akane stopped her laughter when the nearly imperceptible sounds of crying came from Lilith. Lilith had tried to be completely silent, but it was impossible to fool Akane's sharp sense of hearing.

[Hey, Lilith, what's wrong?]

But Lilith didn't reply to her.

[Is it because I laughed at you? I'm sorry!] Akane said sincerely.

[It's not that.] Lilith barely managed to say.

Akane closed the distance between the two of them and embraced the curled up younger girl from behind.

[You know we are friends, Lilith, right?] Akane whispered.

Lilith nodded her head wordlessly.

[We have only known each other for three weeks, but I already consider you a very close friend... No,] Akane shook her head [not just that. You are my best friend.]

[It shouldn't be too hard for you to believe this...after all, our situations are extremely similar. While Bakeneko and half-bakeneko are not discriminated against here, in Japan, that doesn't mean we live a perfectly ordinary life, especially at our age. Most guys I've met only looked at me like at a trophy, while most girls were either envious or indifferent.]

[You're the first person outside of family that I feel that I can resonate with...because we're very similar. I want to be your best friend as well, I want to help you.]

[That's why, you can open up to me. I won't hurt you. I will be like an older sister to you. Come to me whenever you feel sad, I'll be there for you.]

Akane's words distracted Lilith from her own thoughts and worries. Akane's heartfelt confession left Lilith without knowing what to say... and it filled her with warmth. It was that sentiment that comes with knowing that you're understood by someone, that you're not the only one that suffered like that. It was this feeling of kinship that filled Lilith with warmth. Sure, Hanabi was very fun to be around and her craziness was adorable... but it was the first time Lilith felt this close to someone outside her family. She turned towards Akane and she bit her lower lip in hesitation:

[I love him, Akane.] Lilith said eventually in a trembling voice and a lone tear streaked again her now red from crying cheek.

Akane brought her hand to Lilith's face and wiped her tear stained cheek tenderly.

[Why are you so sad then?]

[I don't know if he'll like me back tomorrow anymore...] Lilith said and more tears began to fall from her baby blue eyes. [I-, I lost control of my allure and we... I-, I nearly went too far.]

Akane's eyes widened and she stood silent for a second but then she put her arm around Lilith and brought her into her embrace. She felt honestly surprised at Lilith's revelation, but she didn't think any of less of her. She brought Lilith's head into her bountiful chest and stroked her glossy white hair gently as the younger girl cried like it was no tomorrow.

[You can let it out... cry as much as you want...] Akane whispered softly.

It took a long while but Lilith's tears dried up eventually... but not before making a wetland out of Akane's top.

[Ayy, dummy, look at what you did.]

[Sorry...] Lilith mumbled sheepishly, avoiding eye contact as Akane took off her PJ top and changed into another shirt.

[It's ok don't worry.]

[Come here.] she said when she got back into the bed and embraced Lilith again. They stood silent for a few moments, but Akane broke the silence:

[Despite being a genius, a 13 year old girl is still a 13 year old girl after all...]

[Baka!]

[I'm not dumb!] Lilith huffed back, some of her usual fire having returned to her.

[Oh? Then tell me, who was crying her heart out just a few minutes ago because she thought that a guy that spent over 30,000 galleons on a gift for you and came all the way from Great Britain to Japan to see you, wouldn't like you anymore, simply because you think you acted too horny?]

Lilith's face became red not only at Akane's blunt words but also at having realized just how silly she had been. Indeed, how could Harry stop liking her after all he had already done for her? That snake bracelet costed a fortune; moreover, he travelled from the other side of the planet to see her for her birthday. And if that wasn't enough, he had even brought her sister along with him, her sister, Irene, with whom she had not exchanged even a greeting in years.

[Don't worry, someone that had put in so much effort wouldn't leave you just for that... I do think, however, that you should talk to him about it. It's better for misunderstandings to not occur as they will eventually harm your relationship. I'm talking from experience.] Akane said.

At her 15 years, Akane has only had one relationship with a boy, a relationship that she ended after only two weeks. Bakeneko, not unlike Veela, were also known to be very passionate so the boy Akane had been with had thought that she was an easy lay... a misunderstanding about Bakeneko which Akane had not thought about discussing it with him beforehand as she had thought that he was different from the average boys who only thought about sex. Akane wanted for Lilith's relationship to not end up like hers.

 _Scene break_

When Harry went to the balcony, he was surprised to see Irene there as well.

"How come you're not sleeping? You must be exhausted after last night's blood loss and today's events."

"I am, but I have too many things on my mind." Harry replied.

"Oh, are said things perhaps related to a certain white haired girl with whom you have most likely snogged on the skyscraper's rooftop?" Irene asked mischievously.

"Yeah.."

Harry's ears reddened at her words but, to Irene's surprise, he didn't negate them in embarrassment, nor did he yell at her, red-faced, to shut up. He reacted rather maturely.

"Irene, what does a boyfriend need to do?"

Just as she thought about how mature Harry reacted at her teasing, he asked her this kind of question...

"I've never had a girlfriend before... and I also didn't have any older sibling or any friends from whom to learn." Harry added as to justify his question. He spoke sincerely.

Irene on the other hand, because of her special circumstances has never been in a relationship either but, at 20 years old, she still knew what having one entitled.

"Hmm, it will be hard for you and Lilith to keep your relationship if you ask me.."

"Why?"

"It's because of the distance, of course! Think about it a little... when in a relationship, the two need to see each other, to speak with each other daily... they would want to hold each other, to go out together, to kiss, this kind of things. How would they do them if they're separated by thousands of miles?"

Harry fell deep in thought. Neither of them spoke as they watched in silence the beautiful sight below them. Even at 2 am, the centre of Tokyo was still filled with lights and bustling with activity.

"Will a relationship really not survive from distance?" Harry asked after a while.

"It can...but only for a while. And at your age it is very improbable, nearly impossible for it to happen. Because you are both too young and still immature when it comes to love. People's feelings change over the years, even more than so when there is no closeness between them."

"You see," Irene continued "the things that lovers do - hanging out, spending time together, holding hands, embracing, kissing and so on - all these things make the two lovers become more and more in love with each other. They begin to know the true self of the other one and that will eventually lead to them starting to love each other not just for how beautiful they look or just because of their fun personality. They will start to know each other's character and fall in love with everything the other represents. That way, the two of them will continue to love each other even when they'll become 60 years old and their appearance will become ugly. That is the true love, not the one where you only like someone for her appearance."

Harry was admittedly impressed with Irene's words and apparently she noticed that by the expression he had on his face. She all of a sudden became self-conscious, reverting to her ordinary timidity.

"I-, I got carried away... *ahem* you asked me what should a boyfriend do... well, girls have many things they'd like for men to have.."

"As Lilith's boyfriend you need to be caring and loving with her, to listen to her problems even if you think they are trivial, to talk to her as often as you can, to tell her how much you like her and to assure her as often as possible that she is beautiful even if you know that she's aware of that. You have to show her that you like to spend time with her more than you do with your other friends, that you enjoy her company."

"You have to act like a gentleman, to open the door for her and let her go first, to give her your coat if she's cold even if you are cold as well. You have to never yell at her or hit her or harm her. You have to kiss her and embrace her even if she doesn't explicitly ask for it but be careful to not go overboard. You need to surprise her with presents every now and then and, if possible, never let her start her day without a nice message left on a note or without a 'good night' kiss. You have to share your food with her if she asks, even if she has the very same thing in her own plate. You have to-"

"Waaah! Timeout! Stop it right there!" Harry yelled with his hands in a X.

"What in the fookin' hell?!" he cursed in exasperation "Do all the girls need to be treated as if they are Princess Diana, or what?!"

Irene bonked him on the head.

"If a man truly loves his girl, he will treat her like a princess. And he won't think of it as a burden, he will feel happy from knowing that she is happy."

"And, as a matter of fact, Lilith's statute isn't too far from that of that Muggle princess you mentioned." Irene added as an afterthought.

Harry's ears perked up.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You don't know? ...Hmm, apparently mom and dad haven't told you yet."

"Tell me what?" Harry asked, now dying with curiosity.

"Sorry, this isn't my secret to disclose.. and you'd better not ask Lilith either. She will know that it was I that mentioned it and well, you get the image..."

Harry truly wanted to find out what Irene meant by saying that Lilith's statute isn't that different from that of someone like Princess Diana, but he forced his curiosity to stay put. He knew the importance of keeping a secret, because he, himself, had a big secret as well. He has never told anyone about the pendant around his neck. The Gorgoneion was his biggest secret.

Harry's hand went to his chest and palmed the stoned pendant hanging from his neck. All of a sudden, he went still

 _'Something isn't right... why is this my biggest secret?'_

Harry tried hard to remember. He recalled that he got it during the spring before his first year at Hogwarts...and that the method he got it by was unconventional: it all of a sudden appeared in his room, beside him, after just seeing it that day in British Museum.

Harry sensed the beginning of a splitting headache but he felt like he was close to remembering. And for some reason he felt like it was of a crucial importance for him to recall exactly what happened.

"Harry, what wrong? Harry, answer me!" Irene said worriedly when she saw him clutching his head with both of his hands.

But Harry didn't hear her. He was intensively concentrating on digging out his memory. He remembered the feeling he got when Dumbledore chased him through London's streets and...

The headache suddenly spiked and Harry fell kneeling on the floor at the pain.

 _'Just a bit more!'_

He remembered running towards the derelict buildings and panting in exertion and sitting on a slab of concrete.

 _Flashback_

 _As Harry looked at the Gorgoneion in his hands, a peculiar feeling washed over him and in the next moments he spoke almost without even thinking:_

 _"Please help me. If you do, I promise to do any one thing you ask of me in the future!"_

 _When he finished speaking these words, Harry immediately felt stupid for actually speaking to a an object. But then, to his fright, he received an answer!_

 _Harry watched in morbid fascination how the Gorgon's eyes flashed a blood red colour, and then, a powerful energy flowed into his body and flooded his entire being. It was indescribable. All his tiredness at having run so much vanished and he felt full of energy._

 _Flashback end_

It was in that moment that he felt like his skull exploded because of the pain. He howled in agony but as soon as it came, as fast it passed. He fell unconscious.

 _Scene break_

"How are you feeling?" was the first thing Harry heard when he opened his eyes in the morning. When he adjusted to the light he saw Irene's brown eyes staring at him with worry.

"I think I'm fine."

"...Do you often have this kind of headaches?"

"Not from what I remember. I only had one more yesterday, when you picked me up from London."

Irene scrunched her face in worry, thinking that those two headaches were connected with the hit on the head he had gotten during his fight with Sirius.

"It's ok, it can wait for a day, can't it? I'll see Madam Pomfrey when we get back to Hogwarts." Harry said to lessen her fears despite that he didn't want to even consider getting checked up by a Mediwizard.

"It's Lilith's birthday today and we both want to make it special, right? Besides, I have never been to an amusement park before either... I'm really looking forward to it." he said and Irene could read the anticipation in his eyes.

* * *

AN: I hope this chapter managed to answer your questions about what happened in the last chapter between Harry and Lilith. If you have any other questions, you can either PM me or review, I have the habit of answering everyone.

Also, as this chapter was very difficult to write as well, it would mean a lot for me to hear your honest opinion.

 _(I'm not an English native and this chapter hasn't been proofread by a beta either. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)_


	40. Chapter 40 - Astoria

AN: Before reading this chapter, I recommend you to read again Chapter 24 - The Heir of Slytherin in order to refresh your memories.

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ – thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 40 - Astoria**

"This can't go on! I'm serious, Daffy, I'm telling father in the next letter I'll send him!"

"I told you to stop calling me that way..." Daphne, a 12 year old blonde girl, countered.

"Don't change the subject! That prick has gone too far!" the first girl said, not backing out in the least. She had middle-length dark brown hair, hazel eyes and the height of an average eleven year old girl. She was very pretty, just how it would be expected from the descendant of one of the 28 truly pure pureblood families of Great Britain. However, her pretty face showed signs of fatigue and she had a sickly appearance.

"Calm down, Tori, you're getting pale again." Daphne said worriedly and helped her little sister take a sit on her bed. They were in Daphne's room.

"You know we can't afford to bother father with our petty problems right now."

Astoria looked like wanted to say something else but at the stern look on her older sister's face, she stopped.

"The two of us may not to feel heartbroken after her death, but father loved mother her very much...and it's been only one week since the funeral."

Daphne and Astoria's surname was Greengrass. They were the daughters of the head of the Greengrass house, one of the oldest pureblood families in England. That being said, the relationships between the family members were specific to pureblood families and that became the case especially after Astoria's illness surfaced.

Originally, the atmosphere used to be quite good. While not overflowing with displays of affection and love everyday, the Greengrass manor was still characterized by harmony. The Head of the house and his wife had made sure to teach their daughters to behave like proper ladies, they offered them a luxurious life characteristic to an aristocratic family and they hired tutors for them to make sure that when they started attending Hogwarts, they would not bring shame on the Greengrass name.

But one day, this peaceful environment was shattered by an unexpected variable: one of the ancestors of the Greengrass family had been cursed with a blood malediction. Said curse resurfaced from time to time after a few generations in his descendants...and that curse also resurfaced in Astoria. It happened last year and since that moment, it was as though her mother transformed into a completely different person. She stopped caring about Astoria's well-being completely; she became cold and distant. She refused to even acknowledge her greetings, it was as if Astoria didn't exist for her anymore.

It goes without saying that Daphne took Astoria's side and soon, it was as if there were two camps in one house. Their father, instead of trying to solve the conflict somehow, remained indecisive, not sure of whose side he should be on. That situation continued until a week ago when Lady Greengrass died...or better said, until she was assassinated.

"Even so, how can you accept what's happening?" Astoria insisted still being very agitated.

Daphne clenched her fist.

 _'She doesn't need to know.'_

That's what Daphne was telling herself: that Astoria didn't need to know why was she accepting Draco Malfoy's harassments every day. Daphne didn't want to tell Astoria that it was because of Malfoy's threats to harm her that she endured what he was putting her through.

Draco Malfoy had liked Daphne from the very moment he had first seen her in the 1st year. However, back then the Greengrass House had a stable statute; no-one would have lightly messed with Daphne. Moreover, although Draco was seen an "arrogant little shit" by most non-Slytherin students, at least he usually didn't bully people from his own house.

This year however, he changed radically. His previous arrogance only inflated, he was always scowling and his fuse became very short, often reacting violently when annoyed. What also changed was that him liking Daphne became him obsessing over her, often coercing her into accompanying him to classes, to stay beside him during meals and even do her homework together with him. And through it all Daphne could only grit her teeth and obey him because he had told her "you wouldn't want for something unfortunate to happen to your poor and sickly little sister, would you?"

However, despite Daphne's efforts to hide that from her, Astoria was aware of what was actually happening. And thinking of those things, her eyes began to redden.

'When mother casted me aside, it was only Daffy that cared for me...and even now, she's going through all these things for my sake.' Astoria thought on the verge of crying.

In fact, a way to solve this situation existed. The question was, however, was Astoria willing to take the risk?

In the Slytherin house there was one person that stood at the top of the pyramid, a figure at whom everyone looked up at like at an overlord. Many of the Slytherin students whose parents had been Death Eaters have heard stories about their Dark Lord's time at Hogwarts...and these students were the ones that looked up at this figure as at the future Dark Lord, at the one that would someday rival Voldemort himself. They yearned for him to glance at them, for him to accept them as his followers, they yearned for his recognition.

But opportunities for that to happen never seemed to appear. This would-be Dark Lord was aloof and cruel. Even at his age of only 12 he seemed to need no-one. He appeared to be way too high above the masses for them to ever enter his eyes. His name was Harry Potter. He was the Heir of Slytherin, the one whose mere presence in a room made all of the other occupants feel as if time stopped. He had that overwhelming aura and nobody had the courage to look straight into his heterochromatic eyes.

Astoria swallowed the tears that were about to fall and clenched her fists in determination. Chances were that he wouldn't even acknowledge her presence or worse, that he would hex her or violently beat her down like he did with that 7th year student in the first day of school...Astoria could still recall perfectly how violently Harry Potter had beaten Corban Yaxley; he had broken his hand and his ribs and made his face unrecognizable. Even now, after 3 weeks at St. Mungo, the healers had still not managed to finish healing the skin of his face. Astoria involuntarily trembled at the memory. She was scared. No, she was terrified. But for her sister, she would do it! It was for Daphne who has always cared for her little sister much more than she did for herself.

 _Scene break_

It was Monday, the first day of the 4th week of September, in the afternoon. The Charms classes with Hufflepuff just ended and Harry had immediately fled the classroom, right outside the castle. (1)

It was a bright day of late September and although it was Monday, the school's grounds were filled with students enjoying one of the last few beautiful days before the rainy autumn days came.

Harry took his shrunken broom from his pocket and with a nonverbal Engorgement Charm the Nimbus 2001 in his hand reverted to his original size.

Unlike how he usually rode his broom, this time Harry didn't crazily accelerate it to its maximum speed but chose instead to slowly float in the skies, enjoying the warm wind caressing his face. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply the clean and fresh air above the Forbidden Forest.

Harry was an adrenaline junkie and his very personality was volcanic as well; he rarely took the time to enjoy things in a peaceful fashion like he was doing now.

"Ayy, this isn't bad at all." Harry whispered to himself.

A few hours passed unknowingly and it was the time when the sun was beginning to set. He flew his broom towards the castle and stopped at the top of the roof, above the ridge. Unmounting his broom, he took a seat and watched the red-dyed sky. His thoughts flew back to yesterday's events...to Lilith. The sunset was making him remember the last few minutes he had spent with her.

The day before he had had a lot of fun. He had met new people - Lilith's friends - and he had finally had the chance to visit an amusement park. They had ridden the rollercoaster, had played some arcade games, had eaten ice-cream and Harry had even pick pocketed an "arrogant douchebag" - in Lilith's words - who had cut in line in front of them instead of waiting for his turn to board the rollercoaster. As a testament of his skill, no-one except for Lilith had seen him doing it despite Akane and Irene being right next to him.

Lilith's friends had looked like being an alright bunch in Harry's opinion but the language barrier had made interactions between them nearly impossible. Even so, there wouldn't have been much talk between them if Akane's case was anything to go by: despite knowing how to speak English fluently and despite her showing interest and her being probably just as good-looking as Lilith, Harry had barely exchanged a few words with her. Harry...he wasn't the type of person to readily become friends with someone just like that. He was naturally indifferent and untrusting of strangers - this characteristic of his never changed... it took a long time for some to warm his way into Harry's heart. The most important thing, however, was that his whole attention had been focused on Lilith; Harry hadn't had eyes for anyone else.

"For some reason Japan's sunset is much more beautiful." Harry said to himself.

What Harry didn't care to count was that it was the company he had had that ha made it seem more beautiful. Only by themselves, the of them riding the Ferris Wheel...it was only natural for Harry to think now that Scotland's setting sun was not as beautiful.

 _Flashback_

 _As they watched the sunset from the Ferris Wheel, Harry and Lilith were holding their hands shyly. After the events that happened during the night before they felt very conscious about the other and their own behaviour, that being especially the case for Lilith. Moreover, it was the first time that day that they were finally alone, just the two of them, with nobody to distract them from their happy world._

 _"Sooo..." Lilith began "are we...?"_

 _"Boyfriend and girlfriend?" Harry asked, completing her question._

 _He felt his neck and cheeks starting to burn. It was one thing to admit something in your mind, and a totally different thing to say it out loud._

 _"Oh, it's good then." Lilith said lamely. Inwardly however, she felt like banging her head on the metallic walls of the cab._

 _'Oh, it's good then...the heck, idiot, it sounds like you don't really care whether you really are in a relationship or not!' Lilith inwardly raged at herself._

 _Harry was too distracted by his own embarrassment to notice Lilith's agitation though._

 _Lilith struggled to regain her composure._

 _"Will...will you write me?" she asked in a small voice._

 _"O-Of course!" Harry stuttered. He felt like it wasn't too convincing so he interlaced his fingers with Lilith's unknowingly making her feel like there was a flock pixies frolicking in her stomach._

 _Neither said anything for a while. But the silence that had instilled between the two of them was not uncomfortable. Lilith laid her head on Harry's shoulder and the lavender scent coming from her glossy white hair nearly made him feel intoxicated with the desire to embrace her tightly._

 _"I'm happy." Harry said._

 _It was a very short affirmation; only two words. But Lilith understood the heaviness of it. Growing up in an orphanage from which he ran away because of abuse, being homeless for months, living for years as a street rat and then nearly dying for two times after discovering the Wizarding World...this wasn't exactly the definition of a happy life - and these were only the thing that the Argyris knew about him. Who knew how many other things he had had to suffer through. Therefore, Harry saying that he was happy made Lilith became very emotional...because Harry indirectly said that it was her that made him feel happy._

 _Lilith turned towards Harry and embraced him._

 _"I want to be with you forever." Lilith said with her head deeply pressing into his chest. She felt like dying from saying such a corny and embarrassing thing, but that was heartfelt desire. She wished they could stay just like that forever._

 _At Lilith's words Harry felt a sense of deja-vu, as if someone told him something similar in the past. But when a faint headache started to appear, Harry immediately focused back on Lilith. He didn't want to have again one of those scenes that scared Irene that morning and the evening before._

 _Eventually Lilith broke the hug and looked him in the eyes:_

 _"I never got the chance to ask you...what happened to your eyes? Why is that one of them is a sparkling-grey instead of green?"_

 _Harry felt stumped at her words. Indeed, why? He didn't remember. From Lilith's words it seemed that his eyes had not always been like that. Harry felt the headache return with a vengeance and it took a superhuman amount of effort to not let it show on his face._

 _"That... can we talk about it some other time?"_

 _Lilith looked at him searchingly. Instinctively she felt like the matters were not that simple. Probably he didn't want to ruin the mood._

 _"Sure, I'm waiting for your letters then." Lilith said with such a dazzling smile that it made Harry feel dizzy._

 _He cupped her cheeks with his hands and caressed them with his thumbs tenderly, marvelling at her skin's softness._

 _He kissed her._

 _They both closed her eyes immersing in the heavenly feeling. Unlike the day before, it wasn't desperate nor filled with uncontrollable desire brought forth by their teenage hormones or the Veela allure. They were confirming the feelings they held for each other, slowly enjoying the taste and the touch of the other's lips._

 _They rested their foreheads against each other when they broke the kiss and sighed._

 _"How much are you going to miss this?" Lilith asked teasingly despite feeling her own face heating up._

 _"Shut up!"_

 _Flashback end_

Harry bit his lower lip. Only a day has passed but Lilith was right, he was already missing her.

Unknowingly, while he was daydreaming, they sky already darkened. He mounted his Nimbus and flew to the gates of the castle.

 _Scene break_

Harry left his precious broom in his trunk securely - not that there was anyone that dared to step anywhere close to his room - and then he went to the common room, leaving the Slytherin Dungeons from there through the passage.

Dinner was about to be served and Harry wanted to go a little earlier as he wanted to avoid having a few hundred pairs of eyes staring at him. It wasn't that he actually cared what others thought of him but having a few hundred people staring at him like at a rare animal 3 times every day would be unsettling for anyone. However, when he got out of the passage, someone stopped him.

"H-Hi!"

It was a first year girl from his house with middle-length dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a pretty but pale face. She appeared to be extremely nervous, fidgeting like a startled doe under the pressure of his gaze.

"What do you want?" Harry asked, wondering what was behind her greeting him. Except for Dan and Gwen, no-one else at Hogwarts had the courage or the interest to befriend him.

At Harry's blunt question Astoria flinched thinking that he was mad at her.

"I-, I was wondering if we could p-perhaps talk for a little?"

She sounded so meek and shy that one would feel inclined to want to treat her how they would a very cute but frail little animal.

Harry wanted at first to refuse - because of the Gorgoneion around his neck, Harry had a perfect-recall type of memory; he still remembered that during the first day of school when the entire Slytherin House went against him during "The Meeting", Astoria was also one of those that had pointed her wand at him. Sure, she probably only went with the flow, doing what her elder sister and the rest of her housemates did, but that didn't change the fact that in Harry's eyes she was no different than a potential enemy.

Even so, Harry was in the end a boy as well. Seeing Astoria's watery doe-eyes and her sickly appearance made a feeling of pity rise in his normally pragmatic heart. He couldn't find it in himself to turn her down.

"We'll talk during dinner if you want." Harry said and he went ahead with Astoria trailing a few steps behind him.

Scene break

The end of the Slytherin table towards the professors was the place where Harry has always chosen to sit every day, at every meal. Besides him, only Dan and Gwen sat there and then there was a space of at least 2 feet which was left unoccupied, the rest of his housemates choosing to keep what was a seen as a healthy distance from the Heir of Slytherin.

This time though, there were two more additions to Harry's little group. These two however sat there stiffly, being content with only barely eating and listening to Harry and the two 4th year students' conversation. At least the Minister's son looked very excited.

"Harry, mate, I can't wait for the Quidditch trials this year!" Dan said excitedly.

Harry grinned back at him. He had kind of missed Dan and Gwen's cheerful companionship. He was happy to see that unlike the rest of his housemates, the two of them were not terrified by him.

"Oh, but haven't you also been part of the team last year?"

"Eh, just in name." Gwen answered him. "Our team always had a rather...unorthodox style of playing. You haven't gotten around to watching the Slytherin team play as the last year was interrupted, but the main thing is that they break the rules a lot. What they wanted wasn't skilled players but burly apes."

Harry snickered at how full of indignation Gwen seemed to be. Harry laughing, however, made the Greengrass sisters feel weirded out. For a lack of a better word, Harry looked innocent in that moment...way too innocent, as if he wasn't the same person of whom most students at Hogwarts were afraid. It was as though he was just like any other 12 year old boy.

"But this time dad really did it! He really hired 2 Quidditch coaches for Hogwarts!" Dan exclaimed and slapped the top of the table causing a few students to turn their head at him startled at the clatter of cutlery. Even so, he didn't care, he was too absorbed into his excitement.

Harry, Dan and Gwen continued to chat for a good while about the upcoming Quidditch trials that Saturday and the new coaches that were about to make their appearance there. Eventually, Harry turned his attention towards the two 'outsiders'.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"That-..."

Astoria felt very uncomfortable. It was as if the courage that she had mustered to talk to Harry half an hour before all disappeared. She was looking at her barely touched plate of food, not daring to meet Harry's eyes. Once again that day, Astoria felt her eyes being filled with tears...and this time she wasn't able to stop them to flow like a river.

Daphne immediately embraced her trying to soothe her and not cause a scene in the middle of the Great Hall, under the eyes of the entire student body.

On the other hand, Harry was feeling awkward. He didn't even know why the girl in front of him was crying and but it was the suspicion that it was his fault somehow that made him feel uncomfortable.

 _'Am I getting too soft-hearted?'_ Harry asked himself rather worriedly. On the streets kind people were always being taken advantage of. You couldn't have a bearable life there while acting like Mr. Nice Guy. Conversely, a year ago Harry wouldn't have given a crap about seeing someone crying in front of him. Today however, he was being affected by Astoria tears and despite inwardly hating himself for how nice he was about to act, he asked kindly:

"What happened? Why are you crying?"

But Harry's kind words Astoria began to cry even harder.

 _'Did I do something wrong?'_ he asked himself befuddled.

He looked at Gwen and Dan with a lost expression on his face. He felt as if he were wronged: for once in his life he tried to be nice to someone and that someone only began to cry harder. What was he supposed to think?

Dan and Gwen on the other hand were barely managing to supress their smiles at Harry's helpless expression. If it weren't for Astoria crying they would've definitely laughed out loud.

"Please help my sister." Astoria said eventually between her sobs.

 _Scene break_

 _"That Potter again! Why does it have to be him? Why is he even in Slytherin? Why is he the Heir of Slytherin? Why aren't I the one?"_

 _"Tom, you promised me power, where is that power you keep saying I can get?"_

Draco's fingers were tightly clenched on the quill and his eyes were bloodshot as he wrote into a notebook with black leather covers and blank pages.

The ink faded into the pages as if it was absorbed and words written in an elegant manner appeared:

 ** _"That power is not something you alone can control. This remnant of me has to become stronger in order for you to not be devoured by that power. But for some reason, my strength is not returning to me as expected."_**

What the 16 year old Tom Riddle didn't know was that he wasn't the only remnant of Lord Voldemort's soul that was currently in a state of being awakened. A few months ago, Voldemort possessed Quirrell and managed to steal the fabled Philosopher's Stone. While young Tom Riddle's consciousness became stronger due to continuously feeding off on Draco's emotions, the other piece of Voldemort that was possessing Quirrell was getting stronger as well as Quirrell's will started to get corroded more.

A soul couldn't inhabit two bodies and fully control them at the same time – that was a truth that not even the most powerful and wicked Dark Lords in history had managed to refute. Because of that, unknowingly, the two awakened pieces of Voldemort's soul were racing against each other on who to become the one that got resurrected. And naturally, that led to their recovery become much slower.

Draco on the other hand was not satisfied with Tom's words.

 _"Then what? Should I always cower in front of him and watch him walk all over my pride as a pureblood? Should I just watch him take my woman away?!"_

After weeks of having his soul aggressively drained by the Diary Horcrux, Draco no longer thought and acted like a sane person. Daphne had never shown the smallest sign of liking him or returning his feelings. Yet he was already seeing her as "his woman". And when a few hours before Harry bluntly told him "Daphne and Astoria are with me", Draco understood the underlying message – 'as much as look in a wrong way at them from now on and I'll break your legs'. That's why he was so angry and so frustrated.

 ** _"Endure. Because the longer you wait, the more satisfying you revenge will be."_**

Before Draco could argue any further, a rectangular window like the screen of a mini tv appeared on the page of the diary.

A few minutes later, after watching Riddle's memory, a wild, malicious joy could be read one Draco's face. And for a moment, a tinge of red tainted his normally clear-blue eyes.

Still, Tom didn't forget to warn Draco before ending their conversation that night:

 ** _"Do not provoke him in the meantime. Lay low and wait for our time."_**

* * *

AN:

(1) In case you're interested, Harry's schedule can be found in chapter 25.

 _(I'm not an English native and this chapter has not been proofread by a beta either. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made)_


	41. Chapter 41 - Who was she? (I)

AN: A shorter chapter this time. I couldn't make it longer because what follows next just doesn't fit with the sad and melancholic vibe of this chapter's end. I'll try to write another one within the next few days as to make up for it. However, I'm not making any promises.

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 41 - Who was she? (I)**

"Is there something you wanted to talk to me, professor?" Harry asked politely.

The one with whom he was talking winced at his tone.

"Harry, I know you're angry about what happened... and you were partially right. I lost my cool and-"

"I don't know what you're talking about, professor. You must be mistaking me for someone else."

Sirius opened his mouth to say something but Harry continued as if he was unaware of that:

"If there is nothing else, I have to get to History of Magic. Professor Redcliff doesn't like students getting late to his class."

With that, Harry strode out of the classroom, not saying a word more. True to the words he had spoken to Sirius a few days ago - "we're strangers" - Harry had no intentions to be close to someone that almost killed him.

 _Scene break_

A tall middle aged man with dark blonde hair and a serious face sat up from his seat after just finishing calling the roll and smiled slightly at seemingly interested expression on his students' faces. The class of History of Magic was now a far cry from how it had been during professor Binn's time.

"The curriculum set in stone by the Ministry could be considered rather boring for students as most of you don't find it interesting to memorize the names of the leaders of the Goblin rebellions."

"However," the professor continued "there is no way around it. Since it's mandatory then it must be done... but that doesn't mean we can't spice thing up a bit, does it? That's why, as I promised you, once every two weeks we'll have a class in which I'll present you one of the most remarkable wizards and witches that have every existed."

"Last time, we talked about the not that well-known but not any less brilliant witch Alberta Toothill. Can you tell me what do you remember?"

The students all began to raise their hands in the air eagerly.

"She graduated from Hogwarts."

"She lived during Middle Ages."

"She won All-England Wizarding Duelling Competition no less than 4 times in a row! A record that has yet to be broken!"

It was clear that Mr. Redcliff has had a tremendous success in making his students interested in his class. Although they still had to learn about the Goblin rebellions and about other boring things like the decrees for Centaur race's freedom and the former laws discriminating against "half-breeds", they were motivated to do so, knowing that a very interesting class will follow afterwards.

"Very well! I'm very pleased to see how much attention you paid to that class!" professor Redcliff praised.

"Today I'm going to present you Wendelin the Weird. More specifically, out of the 47 people she impersonated, I'm choosing this time to talk you about one of those that are disputed as not being hers. Nonetheless, it will be very interesting. One of the aliases Wendelin the Weird is said to have taken at one time had been Joan d'Arc..."

 _Scene break_

"That was a retarded move from McGonagall." Harry said louder than he intended because more than half of the people present on the Quidditch field heard him. Thankfully, the new Quidditch coach didn't hear him and the Gryffindors didn't start making a scene. Regardless, almost nobody from those that heard his words disagreed with him because it was truly not the most brilliant idea McGonagall has ever had.

In hopes of making the Houses of Hogwarts get along, McGonagall scheduled the flying classes that were normally with madam Hooch to be held for Slyrtherin and Gryffindor houses together. Students would just grumble a little at the placement if only that were the case but it was different this time: there was a Quidditch coach that was supposed to train the teams separately and make them the winner of the Quidditch Interhouse Cup. What was the point of having a coach if their rivals trained next to them? A team's success depended not only on the players' physical condition and flying skills; an equal importance had the teamwork and the strategies implemented. If the opposing team knew what they had planned beforehand, how were they supposed to win? That being said, everyone thought that the Minister hiring a professional Quidditch coach was useless because the teams' success would still depended on their private training sessions in the end.

What everyone failed to understand though, was that Minister Martlesham's aim was not for the 4 Quidditch teams to become better. At least not only. The Minister's goal was to raise the competence of the average student. Doing that, a competitive spirit would be ignited and from amongst the average masses a few brilliant figures would surely rise.

That being said, the first Quidditch class with a professional coach proved to be disappointment for the students, that being the case especially after doing for 2 entire hours only physical conditioning exercises. They had expected the coach to show them some cool flying tricks or something...something spectacular, not the old and boring sets of running, push-ups and so on.

That night the 3rd year Gryffindors and Slytherins all slept like a log, dead tired from the intense physical effort in the afternoon. There was only one exception: Harry Potter. It wasn't as though he wasn't tired but for some reason he could simply not sleep. Harry left his bed and went to the Common Room. Although he was a 3rd year already, Harry could count on the fingers of one hand how many times he had used the Common Room to relax or to socialise with someone. But he grew bored quite soon and decided instead to explore the castle.

"Come to think of it, I never truly did explore it before." Harry said to himself as he stepped through the portrait guarding the entrance to the Slytherin Dungeon.

Harry, like most of the now second year students, because of their his first year having been cut short, was not too different from freshmen when it came to how well he knew the castle. That being said, after stepping by chance into one of the many secret passages, Harry suddenly found himself on one of the upper floor...he was lost. But since wasn't feeling sleepy anyway, he began to wander aimlessly.

After wandering for a while, the half-opened door of a classroom attracted his attention as an illusory pale blue light was coming from it. Harry was curious.

 _'What is in there?'_

Despite feeling very curious, alarm bells were ringing in his mind. Harry still didn't forget how he had killed someone by mistake by throwing him into a classroom that housed a gigantic Cerberus.

With cautious steps, he advanced. Slowly, his head went in and he peeked inside. He exhaled in relief. There was just one girl looking into a mirror.

"How silly."

Harry mumbled but he was startled to realize that the girl didn't even bat an eye at his unexpected arrival. Taking a closer look, he realized that there something unnatural about the expression on her face. She was looking at the mirror as though she were in a trance. She was barely even blinking and the pupils of her eyes were dilated beyond normal.

Harry knew that girl. It was the first year Slytherin that came to ask for his help recently.

"Astoria?"

But the girl didn't answer. Harry touched her shoulder and asked again.

"Astoria, you hear me?"

As though she was awoken from a lethargy, the girl jumped backwards in fright and her face paled looking devoid of any blood. She was scared out of her skin.

"Did I scare you? Sorry."

Astoria felt herself go weak in the knees.

 _'What is he doing here of all the people?'_

She had been enjoying her happy world, embraced from all sides not just by Daphne and her father but by her mother as well. Her mother which rejected her the moment the curse resurfaced in her body... her mother which was now dead. But what the mirror showed was a dream world. And in a dream world everything was possible.

But then, Harry Potter appeared. Although she lost a bit of the fear she felt towards him, Astoria still found the "future dark lord" dangerous and not comfortable to be around. Coupling that with him appearing behind her in the thick of the night, it goes without saying how hard she was scared.

But he apologized for scaring her. Astoria stuttered.

"I-It's ok, don't worry."

"What were you looking so transfixed at the mirror for? I didn't take you for a narcissistic girl." Harry asked curiously.

Astoria's pale complexion reddened.

"I'm not!" she shot back heatedly. But right afterwards she looked worriedly at Harry, realizing that she almost yelled at him. She was afraid of angering him. Therefore, she continued hurriedly:

"That mirror doesn't show me my face, but my family."

Harry was intrigued. He realized that the mirror was most likely a magical artefact. He stepped in front of it and looked at it intently.

He saw himself: still 12 years old but a bit taller and with a better build and with both of his eyes silver instead of one silver and one green. Suddenly, a very beautiful silver haired girl appeared next to him, hugging him from behind and with her chin resting on his shoulder, right next to his face. It was Lilith, she was just as beautiful as he remembered her.

Other silhouettes began to appear behind them as well. A beautiful woman that appeared to be in her 50s appeared at his side and ruffled his hair. In successive order, besides Lilith and Helen the other members of Argyris appeared next to him: Galatea, Iason and Hector. They were all smiling and looking at him affectionately.

For a brief moment, the image the mirror was showing blurred and the Argyris were all shown staying a bit around him, with the same smiles on their faces. Something was different this time though: a new person appeared.

She was of a beauty no mortal could ever compare to. Even Galatea and Lilith which were the most beautiful women Harry remembered to have ever seen were paling compared to her. Brown hair that reached the middle of her back, a perfect complexion and bright, glowing silver eyes - she smiled at Harry such an enchanting smile that Harry was overwhelmed.

Harry didn't remember ever seeing that woman. And he thought that he would definitely be unable to forget someone as beautiful as her, especially given the armour she was wearing: a golden, open-faced helmet, a sceptre-like spear made of gold and large round golden shield that had the head of woman with snakes instead of hair engraved on it. But despite that, Harry felt a deep sense of familiarity with her. He felt as though he had just met the one whom he was unconsciously missing.

The woman took off her helmet and laid on the ground the golden shield and spear. With a brilliant smile on her face she came to Harry. She cupped his cheek and caressed it affectionately, making the real Harry's heart tremble. A few droplets of clear crystal-like tears began to flow from her bright silvery eyes.

When he saw the beautiful woman smile he felt an inexplicable bout of pain, as though his heart had been stabbed through with a spear. Because despite her still flowing tears, the woman still smiled. She closed the distance between her and the illusory Harry. She embraced him and pushed his shorter silhouette into her bosom affectionately, all the while caressing the back of his head lovingly...just like a mother would.

Harry's heart was in turmoil. Who was that woman? Why was he feeling so happy yet his heart was aching so painfully when he looked at her?

And why...why did she feel like the mother he had never had? Just who was she?

* * *

AN:

 _(I'm not an English native and I don't have a beta either. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made)_


	42. Chapter 42 - Hector's dilemma

AN:

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

《Hello》 - Greek language

* * *

 **Chapter 42 – Hector's dilemma**

"Don't let him pass!" the goalkeeper and the captain of the red-robed team roared in anger and slight panic.

But it was for naught: like a green lightning, the chaser of the opposite team bypassed the chaser and the beater that tried to violently block his way.

After flying past the two that tried to block his way, Harry hugged the Quaffle tighter to his side and grabbed the handle of his Nimbus 2001 with both of his hands.

He cut the flow of his magic and he plunged in a free fall.

From over 50 feet.

An exhilarated yell escaped from him.

But the crowd cried out in shock. The spectators saw Harry apparently losing control over his broom and his yell of excitement was mistaken as a yell of panic.

When they thought he was going crash into the ground, however, Harry's broom abruptly halted right in front of the tallest goal post.

Oliver Wood was dumbstruck. The move Harry pulled off was beyond insane! But then he gritted his teeth in frustration.

 _'Why was Potter sorted in Slytherin and not in Gryffindor like his parents had been?'_ was what he was angrily asking himself. _'With someone like him Gryffindor winning the cup for 6 years in a row would have not been impossible in the least. Why did he have to go to Slytherin?!'_

But then his eyes focused intensely on his "enemy" - because of his crazy devotion for Quidditch for Oliver Wood the opposite team was never made from fellow players but from enemies.

In that moment Oliver Wood was like a dragon that was growling at the intruder - Harry Potter - that wanted to enter his nest - the goal posts.

A smug smirk was on Harry's face though:

"Catch it if you can. Look, I'll even cover my eyes." Harry taunted laughingly and covered his eyes with one of his gloved hands.

Wood finally lost his reason. With a scream he plunged towards Harry.

Harry laughed out loud. He threw the Quaffle lightly above his head and them he abruptly made a flip, the end to his broom slamming into the Quaffle.

The Quaffle flew by Wood's head like a rocket, straight through ring of the tallest goal post.

"I swear that's gotta be against the rules. Slytherin are always cheating bastards but this piece of-"

"Jordan!" McGonagall yelled.

"Ahem. As we've all seen Potter made a dick move and the score is-"

"JORDAN! One more mishap and I'll give you detention for the rest of the semester!"

Lee Jordan swallowed the curses on his tongue and announced the score with a quivering voice.

"The Gryffindor are behind with 70 points. The score is 170 - 100 for Slytherins."

A very loud wave of boos came from 3 quarters of the stadium.

But all of a sudden, the boos transformed into outright screams of outrage: without holding the handle of his broomstick, Harry Potter began to slowly circle around the pitch. With his arms raised high up in the air and a smug expression on his face, he was showing everyone the middle finger with both hands. He was exactly what being an arrogant douchebag entitled.

It was as though a legion of savages began to roar. It was pandemonium.

"SON OF BITCH"

"BASTARD. I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

These and other similar screams were heard from everyone and all kinds of things began to be hurled onto the pitch but Harry looked as though he didn't even notice them. An invisible Shielding Charm was protecting him as he stood there unperturbed with the same infuriating smile on his face.

 _Scene break_

It took McGonagall and Dumbledore firing the canon to finally stop the rebellion-like commotion Harry had caused. In the end though, not only did the Slytherins score another 80 points, they even caught the snitch. It was one of the most crushing defeats the Gryffindor team has suffered in the last century or so.

"Man, you were bloody brilliant!" an overly excited Dan yelled at the top of his lungs in the locker room.

The other members of the team were looking at Dan and Harry with mixed emotions. On one hand they were also similarly excited and happy. Normally, they would've taken the star of the match on their hands and given him the king's walk. But on the other hand, the star of the game was Harry. _That_ Harry that less than 2 months before summoned a three-eyed, basilisk-sized serpent. _That_ Harry that beat Corban Yaxley half to death. Because of that they were standing at the side awkwardly, unsure of what should they do. Should they try to congratulate him? What if he hexed them? Should they not tell him anything? What if that angered him? They felt as though they were stuck between a hammer and the anvil.

Harry however, ignored them in favour of chatting with Dan.

"Well, it was a team effort." Harry said with fake humility.

"An asshole like you pretending to be humble only makes him even more of an asshole!" Dan said and punched Harry in the shoulder.

"But man, you totally destroyed Wood! Damn it, you scored 14 goals all by yourself!" Dan said again yelling.

It was indeed something almost unheard of for a 12 year old boy to score 14 out of the 25 goals his team marked in a match. His team in which he was the youngest member.

When the two exited the locker room, Dan told Harry.

"Man, we're definitely sneaking some food out of the kitchen and party tonight!"

"But I gotta go now, my dad is here as well, he wanted to watch my debut, my first match."

Dan was about to leave when his words' meaning dawned on Harry.

"Are you telling me that the Minister was in the stands the whole time?"

"...Oooh crap!" Harry moaned and facepalmed himself.

Dan couldn't help snickering. His snicker transformed into laughing out loud when he recalled how Harry circled the stadium and showed the middle finger to everyone.

"Ok, laugh it out. Couldn't you tell me anything before the match? Argh! I'm totally going to get back at you for that!" Harry yelled but Dan had long since burst into a sprint, distancing himself from Harry, all the while cackling with glee.

Harry felt the tiredness of the match coming over with a vengeance. He decided that parties be damned, he was going to take a shower and then try to sleep 2-3 hours before his usual nightly activity began. He could barely wait to see the mirror again. But then, a spark of sliver caught his eyes.

Harry groaned in disbelief at the unfairness of the live. That spark of silver had come from a person's...or better said from three persons' hair. Amongst the predominantly brown and black haired spectators that were leaving the stands of the Quidditch pitch, the long and silver hair of two women and one girl stood out like the moon amongst the stars.

"Lilith...? Grandma and Galatea too?"

"Why today?"

It was indeed Lilith, Helen and Galatea and they were accompanied by Iason, Hector and Irene. The entire Argyris family was present.

Harry felt like crying but he had no tears. Why did they have to come today? No, why did he feel the need to be such an arrogant douchebag right when they happened to come?

 _Scene break_

"So glad to see you!" Galatea said with a huge smile on her face when she arrived in front of Harry, unknowingly making a few dozen men around her become dumbstruck. But she paid them no mind and she embraced Harry to her chest tightly. When she even noticed that unlike the last time he didn't flinch but instead returned her embrace, Galatea almost cooed.

"Young man, you made this old man proud!" Iason said and shook Harry's hand vigorously when he got out of Galatea's overly enthusiastic hug.

"Outstanding performance, Harry. I knew you were talented at flying but what you did today was crazy. I thought that that free fall from 50 feet was going to give me a heart attack!" Hector exclaimed.

"Indeed, you were brilliant, Harry!" Lilith said in admiration beforea an insidious smile creeped on her face "Especially that time when you circled the pitch showing everyone the middle fin-"

"Lilith!" Harry hissed but his attempt to stop her from reminding everyone that scene proved to be in vain. A few tender fingers clenched around one of his ear.

"What was the meaning of that gesture back then, dear?" Helen asked sweetly, a stark contrast from her usual stern voice. She was the one whose fingers were pulling at his ear.

Harry felt himself sweat all over.

"G-Grandma..." Harry said meekly.

Lilith couldn't take it anymore. Just last month she watched on the local news the footage of Harry viciously destroying five thugs to protect Irene. He had looked dangerous, lethal. Yet know he was looking down meekly, like a beaten puppy. She couldn't stifle her giggles and she burst into laughter alongside her mother and her sister. Hector and Iason joined them soon and even the stern Helen's stony face was broken by the ghost of a smile.

After a while, Harry said:

"I never expected you to come all the way from Greece! Lilith, even you came from Japan!"

"Oh how could you think that we'd miss your first game, Harry?" Hector said and ruffled his hair. Harry swatted his hand away in annoyance at having his already messy hair become even more tousled. Hector's grin only widened.

"Of course we'd come to see you. We were starting to miss you as well and this was the perfect opportunity to break ourselves from our work and come to see you... besides, I- ... no, we - all of us - could never thank you enough for what you did for us. Not only you saved my younger daughter's life, you even made possible for our broken relationship with Irene to be mended. These aren't things that we could repay even in a lifetime." Hector said sincerely as he looked Harry dead in the eyes.

Galatea nodded her head as to show her agreement with her husband's words and although she didn't say it out loud, her misty eyes spoke volumes of the gratitude she was feeling. Right then she also kissed the forehead of a red-faced Irene that was looking in embarrassment at the ground.

"But you changed a lot since we last saw you...what happened to your eyes?" Helen asked as he came to Harry's eye level.

"And look at you, you've become even scrawnier than before...your face is gaunt you have dark bags under your eyes and your complexion is pale. Do you eat and sleep properly?" Helen asked, her blue eye full of worry.

It was the end of October and ever since Harry discovered the Mirror of Erised, he had spent every night in front of it, looking at it enraptured. Looking at the unknown brown-haired and silver-eyed woman that felt like his mother. After a whole month of barely sleeping 3-4 hours a day, the effects began to show up.

Helen would have said more but Iason stopped her from getting into a mini-rant.

"Leave the poor boy breathe, Helen." he laughed "It's the end of October, the Christmas holiday will come in less than 2 months. You'll be able to stuff him with food and mother him as much as you want then."

Helen shot a dirty glare at her husband before looking back at Harry with a gentle expression on her normally stern face. She cupped Harry's cheeks with her hands and caressed him

"Promise me to take better care of yourself, Harry, alright?"

"I promise, grandma."

Helen smiled.

"Have you thought about what I asked you before boarding the train?"

Before Harry had the chance to reply, Helen continued.

"I'm not pressuring you for an answer or anything... I just want you to know that we all care about you. No, it's not just care. We love you Harry. I love you not one bit less than I love Lilith and Irene."

Harry was deeply moved by Helen's heartfelt words. He felt in that moment that he couldn't possibly be more blessed. His life may have been very rough in the beginning but moments like the present one made him feel as if everything bad that had happened before had all been just a dream.

"I did think about it. I'll gladly take your name...that if you really want to have me." Harry said quietly.

"Aww come on, everyone, group hug!" Iason said with a chuckle and they all closed in on Harry almost suffocating him.

"We'll get the documents done by the end of November and when the Christmas holiday comes, the official ceremony will be held...Now come on, let us the old timers give some space to our little lovebirds." Iason said grinning as he began to drag a somewhat unwilling-looking Hector from his arm.

When the adults left and engaged in some discussion with Dan's father, the Minister, Harry and Lilith were left alone.

"I thought you were not going to tell them anything!" Harry said accusatorily.

Lilith felt wronged.

"I-It's not like I told them anything! They're...they're just too smart to not have seen it right away!" she said frustrated. It should've been obvious - Lilith's own brilliance and genius hadn't come out of nowhere. Her parents' and grandparents' intelligence was exceptional as well. It was something that was running in their blood.

 _With Iason and Hector_

《I told you what's my opinion of this, father.》Hector said, faintly displeased at the situation. 《Not only they're too young, Harry is-》

But Iason cut him off.

《Hector, what's the core of your wand?》

Hector was momentarily thrown off by the seemingly random question. He still answered.

《A Veela's strand of hair. You know that, after all, you were the one that created it.》

《You are not a wand-maker but you surely know at least this much, since I told you this before giving you your wand: what can you tell me about a Veela's strand of hair?》Iason asked.

Hector was an intelligent man. Realisation dawned on his face immediately and fell in deep thought.

《I see you realized it. Harry has no problems with wielding the wand I created for him...a wand whose core, as you know, is one of our Lilith's hairs.》

《The wand would have reacted violently against Harry had Lilith not held any kind of feelings for him. This is the special characteristic of the wands with a Veela's hair as their core: they cannot be wielded by anyone except for the original owner and they cannot be conquered》

《Lilith and Harry are indeed a little too young but you know very well that both of them are more mature than they look. Lilith's loneliness matured her mind and Harry's hard and filled with dangers life made him the one who he is now. Honestly, I don't know how come you haven't seen something like this coming from the beginning...》

Hector didn't reply. He kept thinking about Iason words for a good while.

《Don't get me wrong, father,》Hector said eventually《I care a lot about Harry. And I'm very grateful to him.》

Hector made a pause, choosing his words.

《The thing is that Lilith...I think my daughter deserves something better...》

Iason didn't reply right away.

《Can there even be someone better than Harry for our Lilith?》he asked.

《You haven't seen him, father.》Hector said and his voice became lower. 《Harry...he is a very dangerous person when he gets pushed beyond his limits of tolerance... we're talking here about someone that at 11 years old threatened Dumbledore to commit suicide so he could escape.》

《This isn't someone I feel exactly safe to leave my daughter spend the rest of her life with.》

Iason sighed.

《Let me show you something.》

The old wizard took out a rectangular mirror from the pocket from his chest. He had been working together with Galatea and Helen for the past month in secret to create it, specifically for this moment.

The rectangular mirror was just a little larger than a grown-up man's hand. It looked rather ordinary but when Iason touched it with the tip of his wand, the mirror stopped reflecting the light and its surface became black.

Iason and Hector took a seat in the stands of the Quidditch pitch. Iason handed the mirror to Hector and said.

《Please watch closely.》

Lilith had sent her parents a vial with her memory of the footage with Harry protecting Irene - and that was what Iason bas been trying together with his wife and his daughter to make the mirror show.

Three minutes later Hector was playing the 30 seconds-long video for the fourth time. He could still not believe his eyes.

Iason spoke:

《I see where you're coming from, Hector: Harry is indeed a very violent and dangerous person. I doubt even a muggle fighter could have taken on 5 other guys by himself, let alone to destroy them in 30 seconds.》

《And we're tempted to only look at that. However...what was the reason for his actions?》

《I talked to Irene about the incident...Those 5 thugs had wanted to "play" with her.》

Hector clenched his teeth in anger at the thought of what they had been about to do to his daughter.

《How would you have reacted had you been there, Hector? Would you have remained calm seeing your daughter in danger of being raped?》

《Harry is violent. Powerful. Fierce. I agree with you on that. But ask yourself: would Lilith still have been alive right now had Harry not been like he is? Would Harry have been able to kill that troll and save her? Or, would Irene still have been the same today had Harry been any different?》

Hector felt a chill go down his spine when the heaviness of the situation hit him. He gazed at his father-in-law with renewed respect in his eyes. Iason's wisdom was indeed befitting someone his age. Seeing his father in law looking no older than 55 and always acting like a man-child, sometimes Hector forgot that Iason was in fact over 90 years old.

Hector glanced in the distance at his daughter chatting with Harry. A tint of pink coloured her normally pale-white cheeks and a radiant smile lit her face. She looked...happy. More happy than he ever remembered seeing her.

Hector rebuked himself in that moment. It was indeed as Iason said: what if Harry had been different? What if Harry had been like the "ideal" son in law in his conception? Chances were that both of his daughter would have been dead now.

Before leaving to join his daughter and wife in talking with the Minister, Iason asked told Hector a few last words:

《You should give them time. If this is just a teenage crush, it will pass and they will go their separate ways. But if they are serious - which I'm 90% sure they are - I think you should not oppose them.》

《Harry may have his flaws...but every human has some. And Harry may not know how word out his feelings, but his actions speak louder than everything - Harry's heart is in the right place.》

《A girl like Lilith will always attract entire packs of wolves...so ask yourself: hypothetically, would you rather have an obedient dog as your son-in-law, or a tiger?》

* * *

AN:

 _(I'm not an English native and I don't have a beta either. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made)_


	43. Chapter 43 - Who was she? (II)

AN:

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 43 – Who was she? (II)**

"Can you replace me for a while as the DADA teacher?"

Those were the words a drunk Sirius told to a very sleepy Remus the moment the werewolf opened the door of his house. It was 4 o'clock in the morning.

"What in the Merlin's name are you doing here at this hour, Sirius?" Remus asked quietly as to not cause a ruckus and wake up his neighbours.

But his sharp sense of smell caught the scent of alcohol coming from Sirius' breath. He understood that something was wrong with his friend.

Seated now on the comfortable couches in the living room Remus and Sirius - much to the latter's displeasure - were nursing a cup of tea.

"What happened?" Remus asked directly.

"She left me...Antoinette left me..."

"Oh." Remus said blandly. To be fair, he had been expecting that to happen sooner or later.

"As you probably know, the Fidelius Charms is very difficult to cast. Apart from Dumbledore and the Charms professor Flitwick, I don't know anyone else that could cast it...and you know that I know a lot of people..."

Sirius was rambling.

"Why did she left you, Sirius?" Remus asked when he saw the Sirius was getting into explaining what the Fidelius Charm was.

Sirius had a distracted look on his face but he got his wits together and answered.

"Narcissa found a rich French chap and went to live with him in his Fidelius-protected manor...Antoinette left with her. She didn't even tell me anything beforehand. She only left a small note behind."

Remus sipped from his tea.

"So she's been staying with you only for the sake of Black family's Ancestral Home." Remus said bluntly.

Sirius' expression changed. Lupin's words were the true...but also painful to accept at the same time.

"You know that I hate generalizing, but apparently the Malfoys are all similar to each other like the droplets of water."

Sirius, however, was too drunk to get the metaphor. Remus didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. He tried using a different one.

"You know the saying, the rotten apple never falls too far from the tree."

Sirius showed an expression as though he was seriously pondering on his friend's words. Remus grew exasperated.

"It means that when Narcissa is tart, her daughter will most likely become one as well."

"Damn it, Sirius, how much did drink?!"

But Sirius didn't answer him. He rubbed at his eyes with his hands tiredly. Even in his drunken stupor, Remus' words made him recall what Harry told him two months before, at the beginning of the school year.

 _Flashback_

 _"And by the way, those tears of hers were fake. Can't believe my god father is such a sucker." Harry said as if he just remembered that and then snickered at his own words._

 _"She's a snake, Sirius. Can't believe that I, a 12 year old boy, have to warn you about not believing all the hoes."_

 _Flashback end_

Sirius groaned as felt the urge to throw up. He reigned it in though. No only he disturbed Remus so late into the night, if he were to also vomit all over his living room, Remus would never let him have a peaceful day for the rest of his life.

"I need a break, Remus. I feel like too many bad and weird things happened in the last few months."

"...You still haven't gotten back into speaking terms with Harry?"

"He acts like we're strangers. I barely even see him at meals anymore. I only see him in DADA classes because when he doesn't have classes he's always flying on his broom."

"Did you try to apologise?" Remus asked.

"Of course! But the little prick didn't even let me finish, saying that he's late to some class!"

When he thought of that, Sirius began to get angry.

"I-It's like he's not James and Lily's son at all!" Sirius slurred in indignation. "What am I supposed to do, Remus?"

But the werewolf didn't say anything, choosing instead to give Sirius the chance to let his steam out.

"I'm tellin' you Remus, he's nothing like James...when we were 12 we were exploring the castle and making Filch's life hell. We didn't threaten people into making Unbreakable Vows nor did we violently beat up people, to the point where they needed to be hospitalized."

Remus couldn't help agreeing with Sirius' words. He was shocked when Sirius told him two months ago what Harry had done to Dumbledore of all the people. A werewolf's primal instincts were much more honed compared to those of an average human. Because of that Remus felt something was not alright with Harry Potter. He found it inconceivable for a 12 year old child to all by himself kill a mountain troll, summon a 50 foot long three-eyed serpent or defeat Dumbledore even in the case where he took him by surprise. It didn't make sense. Remus strongly believed that there had to be something more than that. But what? He had no plausible theories. But it is because of that that he had avoided meeting Harry until then.

"Can you substitute for me for the rest of the semester? You only have a little over a month left until the Christmas Holiday comes."

Lupin appeared to hesitate. What should he do? A myriad of feelings were fighting inside him, trying to gain supremacy. Lupin really wanted to help Sirius. But on the other hand he didn't want to meet Harry. He was ashamed of meeting him only now because he heard from Sirius how hard Harry's life had been. Sirius told him a few months ago the words Harry told him when he warned him about Antoinette.

 _"Supposedly I'm your god son, Sirius. And being a Potter means that I'm some sort of cousins with the Malfoys. How come they had not had a care in the world about their family when I lived as a homeless person? Were was my 'family' when as an 8 year old boy there were times when I had to literally fight with stray dogs over the wasted food from the garbage? Where were they when I slept under London's bridges in the biting cold during Christmas when I was eight?"_

In fact Sirius and Remus got in a very heated argument back then. Sirius reproached Remus about him not doing anything for Harry.

 _"James' son should have never lived in that kind of hell. Sleeping under bridges? Being at that point where he had to fight with the stray dogs over the food in the garbage? After everything James had done for you, is this how you show your gratitude? All these years you've never even once asked Dumbledore about Harry's whereabouts."_

Because of that, although Lupin would much rather choose to not meet Harry, he couldn't let Sirius down this time. Sure, right now he was the chairman of the Association for Werewolves' Integration but if he really wanted, he could keep his post and also work as a professor at Hogwarts for a while.

 _Scene break_

Astoria was a little worried. No, it wasn't that Draco was making her and her sister any problems anymore. There was another reason: at the beginning of the year she discovered a charmed mirror in a seemingly abandoned classroom on the 7th floor. She had been pacing back and forth aimlessly, thoughts of her broken family occupying her mind. She had been asking herself how would it have been for them to be all alive and united once again. It was then when Astoria saw the half opened door of a classroom she didn't remember being there before. The illusory blue light creeping out attracted her attention and her curiosity was roused. Starting with that moment, for weeks, Astoria had been coming to gaze into the Mirror of Erised every night. She became ensnared by its sweet dream, by the false happiness it produced.

But then, Harry Potter happened to stumble upon her. The next night when she wanted to go see the mirror again, to her unhappiness, she found Harry with his eyes glued to the mirror. Back then Astoria felt as though Harry stole her greatest treasure. But she was too afraid of what he could do to her if she were to try to "reclaim" it. After an entire week of always finding Harry Potter in front of the mirror every night, Astoria finally gave up on going to the 7th floor anymore.

It was then that the realization dawned on her: after finally giving up on seeing the mirror, she realized how much of a hold the mirror had held on her. It was as though a curse had been broken and she realized how dangerous that mirror really was.

Astoria was facing a dilemma: she watched how much the mirror affected Harry over the past month. He lost weight, his face was pale and the dark bags from under his eyes were a clear proof of how sleep-deprived he was. She wanted to tell Harry about the effects of the mirror but she was afraid. She didn't know how to tell him that without making him think that she wanted to steal the mirror away from him... She wanted to warn him about it because she still felt grateful to Harry for helping her sister. To him may have been a small matter to say a few words to frighten Draco, but Daphne and Astoria were saved from Draco's bullying and daily torment thanks to those few words.

Astoria clenched her small fists in determination. That night she was going to tell him even if the consequences turned out to be bad for her. Becaus

 _Scene break_

The Argyris visiting him was like a fresh breath of air for Harry. But soon enough, the joy their presence had caused faded away after they left. For Harry life returned to its now dull grey colour. The feeling that he lost something important was becoming a source of silent agony for him. By now that feeling was no longer something improbable but something he was certain of.

Just like usual, when the night came, after the curfew, Harry sneaked into the classroom that always appeared on 7th floor. The illusory blue light coming through the half-opened door lured him inside like always and Harry entered the abandoned classroom. The old and majestic Mirror of Erised stood there just like always and Harry looked at it with a mixture of feelings.

Harry was not a naive child and him being a 3rd year student when he should have been a 2nd year was a proof of his intelligence. From the very first night Harry realized what the mirror did.

Harry knew himself very well, especially if you were to consider his age. Harry didn't have any grand purpose in life. He didn't have something he needed or wanted desperately. It wasn't that he felt sad and suicidal. But he didn't have something to strive for. He had everything he had ever wanted - he was surrounded by people who cared about him and his original dream to become rich has long since become a reality. However, what he considered that it made his life still worth living was those people that cared about him, his soon to be legal family.

 _'But someone once told me that leaving life just like that is a very selfish thing to do. Because by doing that, everyone that cares about me will be left in pain.'_

As Harry said that to himself, a sharp pain burst inside his head. It was as though someone was trying to drill through his skull. Harry gazed immediately at the mirror. The magic of the mirror made the agonizingly painful headache disappear and Harry exhaled in relief. That was the reason why despite knowing the dangers of the mirror, Harry still came to see it every night. Not only he could see Lilith, the rest of the Argyris and the goddess-like beautiful woman that haunted his every dream, but the mirror could also suppress the excruciating headaches that came whenever he tried to remember anything related to the Gorgoneion around his neck.

The Argyris appeared behind Harry just like usual. Lilith tenderly kissed him on the cheek and then, just like always, she stepped back with a smile on her angelic face. After that, a radiance of gold appeared.

It was always like that: Lilith and the Argyris retreated smilingly behind him, in the background. The golden-armoured woman appeared once again beside him. She took off her armour and weapons and clad only in her brilliant white robe she closed the distance between them. The goddess-like beautiful woman embraced him. Her arms were pressing him gently to her chest, all the while caressing the back of his head lovingly.

Harry didn't know who that mysterious woman was. He didn't remember ever seeing her but whenever she embraced him like that, Harry felt his heart trembling and his eyes misting.

He gazed at the letters sculpted into the frame of the mirror.

 _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_

"I show not your face but your heart's desire."

Harry murmured. After realising the effect of the mirror it was not hard to deduce the real meaning of the words inscribed on the ornate frame of the mirror.

A gasp was heard in classroom and Harry turned on his heels sharply. In an instant, a purple glow started flickering on the tip of his dark red wand and the blue light that the small runes sculpted into its handle were releasing were making his hand glow.

When Astoria heard Harry murmuring those words she gasped.

 _'He comes here every night despite knowing what the mirror does?!'_ was what she asked herself in disbelief.

But all of her thoughts were wiped away the moment Harry abruptly turned around. His sliver eye was glowing sinisterly in the darkness of the room and a feeling of danger assaulted all of Astoria's sense when she saw the purple light at the tip of the wand and the eerie glow that permeated from the handle through his hand.

An unexplainable terror flooded her.

But as soon as that foreboding feeling came, as quickly it passed. Harry put his wand down and relaxed his stance.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I-" Astoria stammered.

"Were you spying on me?"

"NO!" Astoria squeaked.

Harry couldn't stifle his laughter at how jumpy Astoria was.

"Relax, I'm not going to bite."

Harry asked then curiously.

"Now really, what are you doing here this late? Were you waiting for me to leave so you could look at the mirror too?"

"N-No..."

"Actually, I wanted to warn you about it." Astoria said quietly and with a hint of hesitation.

Seeing Harry not saying anything, she continued.

"This mirror is probably a dark artefact. It makes you become addicted to it. I've even heard rumours of people losing their mind after using it for a long while."

Harry stood silent for a while.

"Why would you do that?" Harry asked eventually.

"Do what?"

"Why would you warn me? Why would you even care? ..Don't try to deny it - I know that everyone in Slytherin either hates me or is afraid of me."

"You are terrified too." Harry said and his green and silver eyes bore into Astoria's blue ones. She couldn't hold his gaze and looked at her feet.

But still looking at her feet, Astoria spoke.

"I am afraid of you. Who wouldn't after learning that you are the Heir of Slytherin and that you can summon a gigantic snake?"

"Even so...!"

Astoria seemed like she had troubles finding her words.

"Even so... even if I am afraid, I don't want something bad to happen to you. Because I am grateful you helped me and my sister."

Harry looked at her deeply. Until then he had thought that aside from Dan and Gwen pretty much everyone else in Slytherin was an enemy.

"Thank you." Harry said. "I really appreciate it."

The smile that lit Astoria's face then was so brilliant that, for a moment, her sickly sickly pale complexion seemed to have vanished.

"W-What do you see when you look into the mirror?" Astoria asked timidly but then she realized how personal was her question. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry." Harry waved her off. "I see my adoptive family. And my girlfriend." he said with a smile.

"Girlfriend? Who is she? How does she look like? What is her personality like?" Astoria inquired burning with curiosity. She really wanted to know just what girl was brave enough to be with someone like Harry. Plus, she was also a bit startled that someone only 1 year older than her already had a relationship.

"Yes. She's not from England. She has white hair-"

"White hair?! Did she dye her hair?" Astoria asked wide-eyed.

"Nope. It's natural – her mother and grandmother were both born with white hair as well. Her eyes are blue and her face is so beautiful that you'd think she's an angel...that if you didn't know how much of a bitch she can be sometimes." Harry said and snickered at the last bit. Before leaving Japan, Harry learnt about the uproar and the massive fight Lilith had caused at the arcade gaming centre.

Astoria looked at Harry with a weird expression on her face at hearing him speaking like that about his girlfriend.

"But she is also caring and affectionate. And unlike what I heard about most girls, she actually can keep secrets."

And indeed, Lilith had yet to tell anyone about Harry having played a hand in Marcus Flint's death. Sure, she had no real proof of that, but just her mere suspicions, if told at the right time during the investigation back then could have brought endless trouble for Harry.

"She is also very smart. Smarter than I am. She has learned English effortlessly and it took only a few months for her to also learn the Japanese language."

"You love her..!" Astoria exclaimed in amazement. She has never thought that Boogy-Man was also capable of that.

"Well..."

Harry felt his face heating up.

"Can you show me a photo of hers?"

"Sure...but tomorrow."

"Aww I can't wait until then!"

"What, were you expecting me to carry pics of her at me when I'm in PJs?"

"..."

"Dumbo." Harry said, making Astoria's pale face flush in embarrassment.

When neither said anything else for a good while, Harry broke the silence.

"There is, however, something weird. Besides my family, the mirror also shows me another person. It's someone I don't remember ever seeing in reality...but for some reason I feel like we've met before...I feel like we're very close."

"...She feels like my mother." Harry said and a knot appeared in his neck. He swallowed hard and tried to keep his composure.

"Maybe it's your real, biological mother?" Astoria asked.

"No..I've seen photos of her. She was a redhead and her eyes were green, just like my left eye. The woman I see has brown hair and silver eyes...like my right eye."

When Harry said the last words, it was though a curtain was finally lifted from his eyes and a vague connection appeared in his mind: the thing that he had forgotten...the thing that he had missed...the reason why he felt that the Gorgoneion was very important...and the goddess-like woman that the Mirror of Erised showed as being more important for Harry than even Lilith... all these things were connected!

The sudden sound of Harry's knees hitting the hard stone floor as he collapsed broke the previous silen e. The intensity of the headache that burst inside of his head was so big that he lost consciousness in an instant. He barely even felt it before his entire world turned into blackness. Even so, right before losing it, a name came at the front of his mind: **Athena**.

* * *

AN:

 _(I'm not an English native and I don't have a beta either. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)_


	44. Chapter 44 - The Devil collecting his

AN: A shorter chapter but then again, it's been less than 2 days since I posted the last one so no complaining haha. Enjoy

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

《Hello》- Greek language

* * *

 **Chapter 44 - The Devil collecting his debt**

"What do you mean you don't have it?!" an irate Harry Potter asked.

"What I meant by that was that I don't have anything to sell to a snot-nosed brat like you!" the old man from behind the counter said in a rasp voice. "Go back to your mommy before I sell your organs to an alchemist." the man said creepily and laughed in derision.

Lifting himself on the tip of his toes, Harry suddenly grabbed the collar of the old wizard's robe.

 _*bang*_

With a sharp tug, he slammed the man face-first into the counter.

"You think you can fuck around with me shitty geezer?! What if broke your heard head now? Huh?" Harry yelled and pressed the old man's head's into the counter once more to mark his words.

Putting the pain coming from his head aside, Mr. Borgin - that was the shop owner's name - felt shivers go down his spine. He has never expected a 12 year old pipsqueak to suddenly and violently slam his head into the counter. Furthermore, the boy's strength was unreal.

"Let go of me!" Borgin gasped.

"I said let go!" Borgin yelled as hard as he could from under Harry's grasp.

Just then, 2 wizards burst in from the storage room behind the shop with their wands pointed at Harry.

"Relashio!" one of them shouted and Harry abruptly lost his grasp on Borgin's head before he was thrown into the shelves on the wall behind him.

Borgin & Burke's was one of the largest and most famous stores dealing with dark items on the Knockturn Alley. And given that usually, it was only the less than savoury people that frequented the alley, it was understandable that someone like Borgin would hire private bodyguards to protect himself and his goods, especially during situations like the current one.

Harry sat up heavily from where he was hurled. He felt now how fickle was the victory in a fight between wizards - until then he had managed to defeat Antoinette (a former Head Girl at Hogwarts and an Auror trainee) and even Dumbledore thanks to him taking them by surprise, when they didn't expect him to attack. In this moment, however, it was him that was attacked by surprise. Fortunately, his opponent had not wanted to seriously harm him because otherwise he would've been seriously injured now.

With his wand still pointed towards the boy in front of him, the man that had previously shot the hex said:

"Get the hell away from here before I call the Aurors!"

A shop dealing with dark magical artefacts and tomes filled with Dark Arts was actually threatening to call the Aurors on him? Who were they trying to fool? Did they think he was that stupid? They were looking down on him! Harry's face turned cold.

"Get moving brat, didn't you hear me the first time?" the man yelled.

Harry was instantly tempted to take out his wand and shot a curse but his rational side overruled his volcanic temper. Without the element of surprise he was not 100% confident of winning against a trained wizard, let alone against 3 of them. No, he had to surprise them.

Harry turned his back and headed towards the door of the shop. The bell above the door tinkled as the door opened.

But the sound of the bell had yet to completely fade when Harry abruptly turned on his heels.

His both palms slapped forward and a low shout came from him.

"Haa!"

A small distortion appeared in the air around his hands. A wave of energy, more like a translucent wall of air exploded from him.

It was as though pandemonium was unleashed. Everything in the shop, from small blood quills to large and heavy wardrobes were hurled into the air and slammed to the back of the shop where the counter was located.

"Protego!" they yelled at the same time, barely managing to stop the onslaught of furniture and items that had been hurled at them.

The three men's faces turned livid with anger when they saw how much propriety damage Harry had caused.

"Bloody brat! I'll be damned if I don't kill you today!" Borgin screamed. He was already a cheapskate and a money grubber. Seeing all the destroyed items and furniture in front of him made him almost lose his mind.

"I asked you nicely at first to sell me a damned book... it is you that brought this upon yourself." Harry said coldly.

Harry wouldn't normally go out of his way like now to harm someone. But he simply had no choice this time. There was no other place from where he could get the books on Occlumency. Occlumency was an obscure magical art that was seen as borderline illegal by the Ministry of Magic and knowledge about it was so scarce that even Hogwarts' gigantic library barely had any book mentioning it. Therefore, Harry resolved himself that if he had to break a few legs and even maim someone in order to obtain it, he would not hesitate. It wasn't like the ones in front of him were good people...not in the least. And the stakes were too high. He felt like his entire life depended on unlocking his memories about Athena.

A dark look flash in Harry's silver and green eyes. Everything that laid around in the shop began to levitate and slowly revolve around him. Metal shelves, wicked daggers, pieces of furniture, bones...they all began a slow movement around Harry.

Borgin and his bodyguards paled at the sight in front of them. They had not anticipated the small rabbit in front of them to be a ferocious tiger in disguise. It was inconceivable for someone his age to be capable of doing that. They, themselves, couldn't levitate that many things at the same time even if they were to combine their efforts.

"I'm not above breaking your legs or cutting off your hands, ya hear me? It's the last time I'm asking nicely: Give. Me. The. Book!"

Borgin looked fearfully at the boy in front of him. The old wizard was the archetype of the vicious but cowardly man: he would be ferocious against his enemies when holding the upper hand but turning as cowardly and meek as a sheep when being at disadvantage.

Borgin's face morphed into a fawning smile.

"If mister can bear to wait a few minutes, I'll bring them right away!"

His tone was flattering and his entire attitude reeked of servility.

Disgust filled Harry after witnessing the 180 degrees change in Borgin's behaviour. Just half a minute before he roared about killing Harry and selling his organs but now he would be willing to even lick his boots if he were to be asked.

As Borgin scurried away, Harry couldn't help but mutter to himself:

 _'Better live 1 day as a tiger instead of living 100 years as a sheep.'_

In no more than 3 minutes Borgin came with 4 books and handed them to Harry with a large smile on his wrinkled face. His exuberant expression would make one think he just fooled Harry of a fortune, not that he was practically being robbed after having his entire shop wrecked.

Even Borgin's bodyguards who have long since become accustomed with his nasty character felt the heat rising to their faces. In that moment they both felt ashamed at working under such a spineless bastard.

Without much ceremony, Harry simply snatched the 4 books from Borgin's hands. He exited the shop at a moderate pace but as soon as he was out of those three's sight he broke into a run and disappeared into the crowd.

 _Scene break_

In the island from the Argyris Archipelago that was used as a research facility, Hector and Galatea were both casting various spells on a rectangular mirror. At the side there was a Pensieve in which a silvery liquid was flickering.

Hector touched the silvery liquid in the pensieve with his wand. When he lifted it, a slivery strand stuck to its tip and Hector brought it on the mirror. The surface of the mirror trembled for a moment.

Then Hector and Galatea cheered at the same time.

"We made it!" Hector exclaimed. He kissed his beautiful wife's forehead and embraced her.

The mirror that recorded Lilith's memory of the footage with Harry beating the thugs in Japan was made a few weeks ago, but it was just a prototype. And a weaker one at that. This time, however, Hector and Galatea gained a large success! The memory they just recorded into the the large, TV-sized mirror was 60 minutes long unlike the prototype which could only hold a 30 seconds long memory.

Hector and Galatea were both exhilarated. Their invention was revolutionary.

《Imagine how much money this mirror can bring! Hardly anyone will take photos anymore when they can immortalise an entire hour of their lives instead of just one moment. Not to mention that a photo does not relay sounds!》Galatea said excitedly.

《Let's tell the good news to everyone. Tonight we're celebrating!》Hector said with a large grin.

Galatea laughed happily. But suddenly her smile stiffened. Her face paled in an instant and she coughed a mouthful of blood.

《Tea!》Hector shouted and he caugh in his hands the falling Galatea.

Galatea was barely breathing. Her deathly pale face made the blood at the corner of her mouth look even more crimson.

《I don't think I have much time left, honey.》Galatea said in a barely audible whisper.

Hector eyes redened.

《No... no! Why now?!》 Hector said in despair as he knelt on the floor beside his wife.

Hector wept. In that moment he didn't care that he was a man. It was too much for him. In contrast, Galatea looked serene. Sad, but serene.

《We both knew this time will come when proceeded with that ritual 13 years ago...so don't cry, Hector. We knew this moment was coming.》

But Hector didn't want to hear it.

《Expecto Patronum!》

An illusory blue eagle owl appeared from Hector wand and then it sped towards Helen's location.

* * *

AN: Remember that Hector and Galatea adopted Irene because they couldn't have children? Well, to get Lilith, Hector and Galatea made a ritual. But nothing is ever free. In order to obtain something, one must sacrifice something of equal value. Now Hector and Galatea are about to pay the price. That's what the title of the chapter is about.

 _(I'm not an English native and I don't have a beta either. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)_


	45. Chapter 45 - First attempt

AN: I finally managed go write a new chapter! See, the story is not abandoned yet, I wasn't making false promises about continuing it. I hope you will like it.

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 45 – First attempt**

It was 6 o'clock in the afternoon when Harry got out from professor Flitwick's detention. Getting to Diagon Alley, wrecking and robbing Borgin's shop and then coming back to Hogwarts - all of this didn't take more than an hour thanks to him using the Charms professor's private floo. That, however, came in tow with detention for the rest of the semester from the tiny professor when Harry was caught red-handed, just as he was dusting off his clothes from floo.

He was tempted at first to simply go back to his room and delve into the Occlumency books he had "bought" but just as he reached the Slytherin Dungeon, he stopped. After everything that happened that day, he decided that it would be better to relax his mind first.

Flying on his Nimbus 2001 was as much of a stress relief for Harry as ever. At times, he plunged in free falls towards the ground while sometimes he flew slowly, circling around the castle leisurely, enjoying the cold air of late October. Although it got colder and colder with each passing hour, Harry forgot the passing of time. His mind entered a state of relaxation and all of his thoughts disappeared from his mind. For him, flying was freedom. Flying made him feel as though nothing else mattered.

He saw a grey owl flying towards the owlery.

"How I wish I could fly as free as an owl.."

His previously calm mind began to work again. He thought that with magic, true flying could somehow be achieved. He remembered last year actually planning on learning how to fly but, of course, it had stayed just at the stage of planning because too many things happened in the meantime, distracting him from his previous goals.

Harry sighed. He decided to get down and grab something to eat. It was already past dinner time but he could just go to kitchen. The House Elves were more than willing to help him with more than could he possibly eat.

But when he landed in front of the gates of the castle, a shivering silhouette was waiting there for him.

"Astoria? What are you doing out here at this time?"

"Hey...I didn't see you at dinner and I thought you were flying again alone, by yourself. So I saved you some food." Astoria said with a smile, showing him the plate she was holding in her hands.

Harry looked at the steam coming out from the lid covering the plate and couldn't help feeling warm inside. When everyone in the school was either afraid of him or hated him, seeing someone actually giving a damn about him, had a bigger impact on him than he wanted to admit. The sincere smile that bloomed on Harry's face made Astoria feel like it was totally worth it to wait in the cold of an October night for more than half an hour.

Harry took the plate from Astoria's hands and sat on the cold stone of the bridge, Astoria following him. They stood next to each other, helping themselves with pumpkin pies.

"Thank you!" Harry said after a while. "Gwen told me a while ago that you suffer from a curse-induced illness and that because of that you have a very weak constitution...the fact that you came outside this late and waited for me in the cold, with food - this means a lot for me."

Astoria's pale face reddened but thankfully, due to the darkness outside, it wasn't that visible.

Harry took the green scarf from around his neck and put it around Astoria, covering her neck and even half of her face. She made a squeak of protest but Harry was having none of it.

"Sheesh, no complaining! It's cold outside, even more than so for you."

To be safe, he also took out his wand and cast a Warming Charm on her coat.

"Thank you." Astoria muttered in a small voice.

Harry only smiled and lightly patted her head, ruffling her hair in the process. To his surprise, the normally meek and shy Astoria actually swatted his hand away and huffed at him:

"Don't treat me like a little girl, you're older than me with just 1 year!"

Harry just laughed and pated her head again, more gently this time. Astoria didn't protest anymore and he smiled. He couldn't help wondering:

 _'If I had had a little sister, is this how she would have been like?'_

 _Scene break_

"Professor, just because Voldemort" - cue an indignant squeak from the other oocupant of the classroom - "was stupid enough to get himself killed with his own curse, that doesn't mean that this fatass over here has some kind of special power."

"Just...just look at him: he's pathetic! Does he look like someone with a hidden potential to you?"

They have been throwing light hexes at each other, trying to practice Spell Deflecting. So far Neville failed 4 out of 4 times. In comparison, Harry managed somehow to deflect 2 out of 4 spells. To make things worse, Neville was laying on his fours on the ground, looking like he was trying hard not to vomit because of the faeces that were smeared all over his clothes - courtesy of one of Harry's hexes.

Nevile's face became beet red at Harry's words and he punched the floor in anger. But the trashing Harry did to him, just a few moments before, stopped him from retailing.

Dumbledore felt his eye twitching. It was most likely going to become an unconscious nervous reaction for him, every time he saw Harry and Neville in the same room. Dumbledore had let Harry's verbal abuse slide in the beginning, thinking that that would motivate Neville and push him to reach his level. Because the old Transfiguration professor knew that, for some twisted reason and despite saying that he hated Harry, Neville longed to be acknowledged by him. It was something understandable after all - everybody had always treated Neville like Merlin's gift to humanity but Harry had never put him in his eyes. The fact that Neville recognized that Harry, who was of the same age with him, was clearly his better in nearly all the fields of magic that they had studied so far, made Neville want to surpass Harry and prove it to himself that he is better. But the problem was that Harry Potter was evolving too fast. He was - as the boy himself often bragged about it - in a different league from Neville, who, if you were to compare with ordinary people his age, was actually outstanding.

After Harry came back from Japan, Dumbledore began to teach him and Neville the art of deflecting curses, jinxes or any other spells directed at them. Deflecting spells was a very difficult thing to do...it was not even included in Hogwarts's curriculum.

 _Throwback to the first week of October_

"Deflecting the spells is something that the experienced and skilful wizards and witches often employ in a duel. I asked you last week to research this topic thoroughly. Neville, can you tell me the advantages of using it?"

Neville had a very serious expression on his face. When Frank and Alice Longbottom - his parents - heard from him what had Dumbledore started to teach him, they told him that he was to make sure to not make a wrong a step no matter what. Being taught by Dumbledore personally in the art of duelling was something many would even kill for. After all, Dumbledore was recognized worldwide as the most powerful duellist in the last century and one of the most illustrious in history. Therefore, unlike his usual self that used to slack off in classes, Neville always put in his utmost efforts in accomplishing Dumbledore's tasks. So he answered the question in a confident voice.

"Deflecting the spells sent by the opponent offers the wizard a few precious moments of advantage. Instead of wasting time trying to dodge the curse or thinking about the counterhex or countercurse, simply deflecting it it's much faster. Besides the speed advantage, it also uses an insignificant amount of magic power so it would be very useful in a duel of attrition between two wizards that are equal in terms of magical reserves. The ones that had reached the pinnacle of the art of Spell Deflecting are said to even be able to reflect the spell of the opponent, as in sending it back to the caster. Unfortunately, there are no records of anyone being able to that. Apparently, Fillius Flitwick managed this feat against his opponent in the last match that made him the Duelling World Champion more than a decade ago. He, however, said that it was something done simply by luck, that it was a fluke."

"A very good and comprehensive answer, Neville, well done. If we were in class I would award you with 20 points and maybe plus 10 more for that trivia at the end." Dumbledore praised the boy and smiled at him.

"The advantages are clear for us now. Harry, can you tell me which are the disadvantages or, say, the limitations of using Spell Deflecting in a duel?"

Not unlike Neville, Harry also took Dumbledore's private training very seriously. Similarly to the Boy-Who-Lived's parents, Harry also recognized how precious was the opportunity of receiving Dumbledore's duelling lessons.

"Deflecting spells is very useful, especially for the less physically apt wizards and witches." Harry started "But the problem arises when the cast spells are not of the kind that could be deflected. For example, if the opponent were to use a physical attack like throwing a conjured spear or Banishing an object towards the wizard, the wizard would be forced to either dodge or use a Shielding Charm. The second limitation is imposed, of course, by the use of Unforgivables. They cannot be deflected."

"The last limitation is, in my opinion, the one that actually makes Spell Deflecting so difficult: deflecting a spell cannot be done without having either crazy fast reflexes - not many people are born with something like this - or a very high competency in distinguishing the distance of objects and visually estimating their speed - something that usually comes only after years and years of practice. Therefore, there is a big risk for the wizard's attempt of deflecting the spell to fail and be hit by it instead."

Dumbledore was about to congratulate Harry in the same manner as Neville, when Harry added one more thing:

"An overcharged magic spell can also be very dangerous to attemtp deflecting against."

Although imperceptibly, Dumbledore's eyes widened and he asked:

"Where have you read about this? From what I remember none of the books in the selective bibliography I gave the two of you says anything about it."

Harry shook his head.

"I haven't read about it anywhere." he said "but is it not logical?"

Dumbledore's eyebrows shot into his hairline.

"Can you elaborate?"

"Please, professor, he's just trying to look interes-" Nevile began but Dumbledore raised his hand, stopping his words midway. He really wanted to hear what made Harry reach this conclusion...because it had taken Dumbledore to eat a particularly nasty curse from an enraged Abeforth to realize that an overcharged spell cannot be deflected and that it would explode on impact.

"Hmm...how to put it..." Harry said scratching his cheek.

"In my mind, I compare spell deflecting with wielding a baseball bat. As long as the weilder is perfectly apt for it, he can easily bat away all the baseballs thrown at him..."

"But what would the weilder of the bat do if instead of a baseball, a football were to be thrown at him? Unless he had a crazy strong body, the bat would be smacked away from his hands...but - lastly - what if someone were to throw at full speed a basketball? The weilder of the bat would have his wrists snapped at the very least."

Dumbledore couldn't help marvelling at Harry's answer.

 _'Who says that professors exist only to teach the young? As long as they live, humans learn, regardless of their age... I'm definitely noting down his words when I get back to my office.' Dumbledore thought, chuckling softly to himself._

 _Scene break_

The waves of the agitated sea slammed into the sharp rocks of the shore and countless droplets of water splashed into the air, filling it with the smell of salt.

"S-So real!" Harry couldn't help exclaiming at the scene. It was no differrent than how the seaside looked, smelled and felt in reality. It was a surreal thing that his mindscape looked like that. In fact, it was exactly the Gorgoneion's inner world. After Athena possessed Harry at the beginning of the year, Harry's soul also became a part of the Gorgoneion.

Harry glanced around himself...and he remained stumped at the sight in front of his eyes: towards the sea, everything he felt and saw was just as vivid as the reality...but it wasn't a particularly spectacular sight. When he turned his eyes towards the opposite side, however, a towering structure met his eyes.

Seemingly built entirely out of marble and with tall, thick and exquisitely carved columns, the strucutre was, unmistakably, an ancient Greek Temple.

Apprehension flooded his entire being. Deep inside, Harry knew that the temple held the key to his memories - be them either good or bad.

The temple was located at a few miles away from the coast, but after just thinking of wanting to enter it, Harry found himself in front of it in the very next moment.

Doubt and hesitation began to creep upon him.

 _'What if my brain subconsciously willed itself to forget everything in order to protect itself? What I had wanted to forget all of my memories?'_

But then, he remembered the divine looking woman that had been lovingly embracing him every time he had looked into the mirror of Erised. He felt his heart shuddering just at the memory.

He gripped at the middle of his chest with his right hand. It was painful. It was painful not knowing who was the one that his heart secretly desired the most.

"Athena.." he whispered.

His wavering stopped and his resolve steeled. He unknowingly clenched his fist.

"No matter what will happen from now on.. I just want to know... I need to know who is she and why do I feel as though I love her like the mother I've never had."

 _Scene break_

A smell of dust permeated the air. All the grandeur Harry had been expexting to see inside the enormous temple, was nowhere to be seen. Darkness eneveloped everything. Even with a fully powered Lumos, Harry could only see 3 metres around himself. It seemed like no matter what he did, he could not widen his horizon.

 _'For how long is this corridor going to go?'_

He had walked for what felt like a quarter of an hour. By then he should have long since exited the temple's premises. But he kept an open minded view of the situation - he was inside of his mindscape. Things were bound to not be normal.

Suddenly, the corridor stopped. Stopped as in that it bifurcated into other two corridors. Harry didn't spend much time pondering on which way he should choose as he had no clue either way.

He went to the left. After less than 20 metres he hit a dead end. Just as he turned with the intent of going back, the sight in front of him blurred. The next moment, he found himself in a completely different enviroment.

 _It was night. Heavy snowflakes were falling upon London's streets and even the bright a beautiful Christmas lights could not scare away the desolace of the small alley in which a 9 year old boy was sitting huddled. A dirty grey coat a few times larger than him was covering his entire body, but his head was fully exposed to the sharp and freezing wind of December. His black hair was covered by a thick blanket of snow and his face was almost violet. Frozen tears covered his cheeks and his entire body was shaking almost violently._

 _At some point, someone happened to pass by that place._

 _"Poor little thing." the middle-aged paaserby said in slight pity. But although he felt some pity for the boy, it wasn't to the extent where he would be willing to take him for at least a night._

 _Sighing deeply, the man approached the boy and left a small paper bag with two roasted pieces of chicken meat._

 _"May god have mercy on you. Poor lil' bastard.."_

 _Then, he left without turning back. He considered that that was enough on his part as a good Christian. For the rest, in his opinion, it was god's job to provide the dying child with what he still needed._

 _When the man left, a very skinny and terribly shaking hand came out from under the coat. As it grabbed the small paper bag with food, crimson droplets fell from the hand, staining the pure white of the snow-covered street. The sleeve covering the boy's arm was ripped and a deep bite mark could be seen. It was bleeding._

He all of a sudden found himself back on the dark corridor, inside the temple. He was on his fours and his breathing was laborious. Sweat feel from his foreahead like a creak, a puddle forming on the marble ground.

He didn't remember ever going through what he had just seen...but then, a chain of memories related to the incident that he had forgotten hit him like a speeding truck. He even rememeberd the scene where he told Sirius about him having experienced such things while the Malfoys could not care less.

It took a long while for him to recollect himself. But, eventually, he gathered his wits and managed to lift himself up on his feet.

Getting back to the bifurcation of corridors, this time, although with a certain trepidation in his heart, Harry rushed to right corridor.

After the tenth step, though, a feeling of great danger washed over him. But his body was not able to react in time...

The sound of a group of sharp objects cutting through the air was heard when a hail of arrows were shot.

A scream of agony broke past Harry's lips when he felt 8 arrows piercing his flesh, with some of them even getting through the other side of his body.

* * *

AN: Some of my readers offered to be my beta at some point but it's been more than a month since I last updated - I don't know if their offers are stil available.

 _(I'm not an English native and I don't have a beta either. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)_


	46. Chapter 46 - Revelation and Resolution

AN: I'm finally back into my country, hence the new chapter...my updating speed should increase if nothing unexpected will happen in the future. Anyway, here is it - a rather good chapter when it comes to Harry's character development if you ask me. I hope you'll enjoy it :)

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 46 - Revelation and Resolution**

 _Dear family,_

 _I'm sending this letter to apologise for not having written to you as often as I should have. Some problems have appeared... like serious problems. And no, don't worry, it is not Dumbledore this time around. In fact, he's been the perfect teacher this year. I've learnt a great deal from him._

 _Unfortunately, I cannot tell you too many things... this is a secret of mine. My most important secret, which I've been keeping it even from before meeting you._

 _And don't start it, grandpa, I'm not hiding some sort of relationship with a girl. You know very well that the moment my heart harboured unfaithful thoughts, the wand you gave me, will stop working...talk about tricking me into having a cheating detector on me all the time haha. I do not mind it though, honestly. I would have to be an utter fool to even think about another girl when I have someone as brilliant as Lilith._

 _Back to the matter at hand, though, it's a problem related to my very existence... aye, I used such a grand expression... But it truly is. I know that I have to do this by myself. And I feel like I won't be able to live a full life without solving it._

 _That being said, I will not be able to spend the Christmas together with you and Lilith - I sent a letter to her as well. I wish I was with you in that moment, but my presence there will do nothing but sully the festive mood..._

 _My studies, so far, had proceeded as smoothly as in the last year - I'm still the top of my year. So you don't have to worry about me lagging behind because of my personal troubles._

 _I hope you are well... now that it came to it, I want to hear some news about you as well! Every time we exchanged letters, you were only asking me how I was and spoke too little about yourself._

 _I want to know, how are you, Hector &Galatea? How are your experiments proceeding? Did you manage to make any breakthroughs in inventing the magical equivalent of a muggle video camera?_

 _How are you grandpa? Are you still competing with Hector over all kinds of silly things?_

 _Granny Helen, are those two man-children still making your life hard? Who am I kidding...we all know who's the final boss in the house haha._

 _I miss you all and I hope I will see you much sooner than the summer holiday! I'm sorry we won't be able to spend the Christmas together..._

 _Love,_

 _Harry._

Finishing re-reading the letter one more time, Harry rolled the parchment and tied it tightly.

He took his red wand from the pocket of his coat and the runes carved into its handle began to glow softly as he casted 3 charms on the letter - one for making it unbreakable, one for making it impervious and one for diminishing its weight.

Harry opened his backpack and took out from it a handful of treats in order to use it as a bait for one of the hundreds of owls frolicking around - he was currently in the Owlry.

A large brown owl landed next to him and started to eat voraciously. When it finished, Harry took the parchment, trying to tie it on the owl's leg... only for his hand to be met by an angry peck.

The owl pecked so hard that Harry's hand started to bleed.

"You sure are hungry..." Harry muttered as he took another handful of owl treats from his backpack, seemingly completely unfazed by the pain he should have felt from his bleeding hand.

It took four handfuls of food for the owl to finally have its fill. The owl stretched out its large weeks in a lazy manner, a cunning look flashing in its yellow eyes. Then, when it saw the human next to her not reacting in an instant...

 _*zvvrrr!*_

It jumped up from the ground, at a high speed, all the while releasing a squeak that no matter how one saw it, it was mocking.

"What has the world come to, when even a bird is trying to take advantage of you?" Harry asked himself rhetorically.

He pointed his wand at the owl, who suddenly felt as if 20 pounds of weight were added on its back. The sneaky owl fell to the ground, right next to Harry, crying out.

It looked at him angrily, and tried to take flight again. But it made the mistake of looking into Harry's silver eye.

"Stop!" Harry said calmly. The presence he started exuding would be unsettling for any onlooker.

As if charmed, the owl stopped into its tracks, not daring to even blink.

"Come here!" Harry ordered again.

This particular owl was a lazy but cunning individual. The human in front of its eyes was not the first it had taken advantage of until then. Many others had been fooled before. However, now it was the first time someone caught it like that. It wanted to get away, to fly, but when the human spoke, the owl felt its will overwhelmed. It could do nothing but obey the orders the human began to give.

 _'At least there is one good side effect of having had to break into my own mind's defences. Manipulating an animal to my own will is child's play for me now, it's almost like they are under the Imperius Curse.'_ Harry thought to himself pleased when he saw how docile the owl became after he only sent his will via eye-contact type of Legilimency.

Of course, Harry was far from being capable of doing something like that to an intelligent being, let alone a human, but, as the saying goes, the 2000 miles journey starts with a single step.

Still focusing on forcing his will upon the owl, Harry spoke:

"You will take this letter and deliver it to Argyris family, in Argyris Archipelago, Greece. You will do it in 3 days."

From Scotland to Argyris Archipelago, in Greece, there were over 2500 miles (over 4000 km)... Given its speed, it would take an owl, in the warm season, 3 days to cover that distance - and that only if it were to fly continuously, without rest. Therefore, it couldn't possibly do it in 3 days. It would take 4 or 5 days normally, especially since it was the start of December.

Basically, Harry was sending the owl to its death. Coerced by his will, the owl will desperately fly for 3 days. After arriving at the destination, it will die of exhaustion...that was its punishment for trying deceiving him.

It may be cruel, but Harry didn't care what others would think of him should they find out. The owls used by Wizards are by far, more inteligent than their ordinary counterparts. And that owl was an expert at deceiving the students. The way it stretched its wings in an innocent manner before taking flight, was a clear indicator of that. Therefore, in Harry's opinion, he just gave owl what it deserved.

Having finished his business, Harry put his gloves back on and hurried to get inside the castle again. It was the start of December, and outside it felt like in the middle of the winter.

As he entered the library, Harry headed towards the Forbidden section of the library, continuing his research.

In the past 2 months, Harry did not realize it, but significant changes occurred in his behaviour. For one, the way he just sent a owl to its death...the old Harry from two months ago would not have done something like that. The old Harry would have gotten angry, would have grabbed the owl from mid-air and punched it a few times...but he would have let it live. However, always researching and skimming through books related to Dark Magic had slowly started to change him.

"Twenty ways to poison someone without getting caught. Not what I need..."

"Inferi - The secret to immortality?"

"Theories on Flamel's Stone."

"Conversing with the dead."

"How to become a ghost after dying."

Harry ruffled his hair in frustration.

"Only useless crap."

He had scurried the entire library of Hogwarts in the past few weeks but he couldn't find anything remotely useful.

"I'm so tired..."

He sighed and closed his eyes. A smiling woman with brown hair and bright silvery eyes appeared in his vision. That was his obsession.

 _'Wait for me, Athena! I'll definitely find a way to bring you back!' Harry vowed in his thoughts._

He left the library and went back to his dorm. He laid in his bed and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. But every time he closed his eyes, memories of Athena played and her voice resounded in his ears, especially the last three words she had said to him - "Farewell, my son."

Guilt flooded him every time he recalled those three words.

 _'It was my fault!_ ' Harry said to himself as he clenched his teeth.

 _'If I hadn't gotten so angry at Sirius...she wouldn't have... Athena wouldn't have died...'_

 _'She...she was like my mother.'_

 _'I killed my own mother.'_

Tears were streaming from his eyes as he looked at the dark ceiling of his room. For weeks, he had looked everywhere for information about how to bring back the death. But he didn't find anything...Necromancy was seen as one of the darkest magic out there for a reason...

Moreover, he didn't even know what to look for...because, for all he knew, Athena had only been a spirit, a soul residing in the Gorgoneion around his neck.

Harry lifted itself in a seating position and wiped his tears away.

"Crying won't help. Man up, why are you acting like a little bitch?"

He sat up from his bed and started pacing around the room.

"There has to be a way...I'm sure of that."

He said he was sure, but the truth was different. Actually, he was just refusing to believe that there is no way.

He started to think again of new sources to get information.

"The library of Hogwarts proved to be useless... at Borgin and Burkes I cannot go anymore.."

"The only option for me would be to get in contact with the those making contraband with dark objects...but it's close to impossible to get into their circle as an outsider."

"Pfff... what else...what else?"

"...There is one more option...searching through the library of an old pureblood family. Like the Blacks for example.."

"Fuck no!" Harry rebuked his own idea vehemently.

After regaining his full memories, Harry hated Sirius even more than before. And accessing the library from the mansion meant to make up with Sirius first, to apologise and to make friends with him again...and that was completely against his personality... Harry was the kind of person that remembered having been punched by Dan for an entire year and, when the time came, he punched Dan back, to get even with him. If Harry held this kind of grudge for just a simple hit, imagine just what kind of grudge he had on Sirius, the one whom he blamed as partially responsible for Athena's death, the one who also almost killed his godson in his anger, all for the sake of a woman.

 _'What is more important? You pride, your ego, or bringing Athena back?'_ a voice came from the corners of his mind and Harry automatically answered to his own question.

"Athena of course! ...but...you want me to apologise to him?! ME, WHO WAS NEARLY KILLED AND HAD MY MOTHER DIE AFTER THAT INCIDENT? YOU WANT ME TO APOLOGISE?! TO HELL WITH THAT!" Harry screamed like a madman, and his magic lashed around uncontrollably.

The bed was slammed into the other side of the room and the big wardrobe containing his clothes burst into pieces, as if a cannonball had crashed into it. In an instant, the entire room became as if a hurricane passed by there.

 _'So your wounded pride is more important to you than bringing your mother back.'_ the same voice whispered in an insinuating fashion in his mind.

"This is not pride! This is hate! I'm going to kill that fucking bastard one of these days!" Harry raged through gnashing teeth.

The voice asked again, unperturbed.

 _'So your hate is more important than bringing Athena, the one being that loved you unconditionally...your hate is more important than bringing back the one that actually died for your sake?'_

Harry's knees slammed painfully against the floor. The air began to heat around himself and tiny, countless sparks started to come to life. It was as if the air was beginning to burn. He was so enraged that his magic was starting to slip away from his control, going berserk.

It was just like in that day, after Sirius nearly killed him. He had been so enraged that he lost his sense of self, his magic reacting to his deepest desire - to destroy something, to make someone suffer.

What happened back then and what was currently happening now, were not normal occurrences, not even in the wizarding world. It was not natural for Magic to be so responsive to one's emotions. At least, not to this exaggerated extent. In the previous instance, had it not been for Athena stopping it from happening, at the price of her life, Harry's berserk magic would have hurt tens or maybe even hundreds of innocent bystanders...because he had been the middle of London.

And now, his magic was lashing around again, about to reach the same state like a few months before. Only, this time there was nobody to stop it...imagine the ramifications of this: the Slytherin Dungeon had been built under the lake...what would happen if one of the outer walls of the castles were to crack? Or for the unbreakable glass that let the students see the creatures of the lake, to shatter? How many would die as a result of that?

Harry was not aware of one thing - when Athena possessed him a few months before, merely changing the colour of one of his eyes, was not the only thing that happened! Harry Potter ceased to be an ordinary human from that day. And his body and soul were slowly converting to something else. He was gradually becoming a different being - because magic would never bend like that in front of a human. Magic would never be so responsive to the emotions of a mere human.

The sparks that were being produced in the air suddenly burst, and a ring of fire of 1 foot in width started to revolve around his kneeling form. The oxygen in the room was quickly being depleted and pressure was growing at a steady pace. Truly bad things were about to happen.

 _'So you're angry. Go on with your tantrum. Let's see how many people will die this time around...Last time you only killed your own mother...whom will you murder now?'_

The sound of his inner voice faded away, but the words "Last time you only killed your own mother" continued to repeat themselves over and over again in his mind.

His rage slowly died down, gradually overwhelmed by the feelings of guilt that flooded him. He started to sob quietly.

In a moment of clarity, Harry looked at his own life and realized how he had behaved until then, along the years. As he stood in a kneeling position, on his fours, tears began to fall from his eyes, forming a puddle between his two hands. He was feeling sorry not only because of his guilt. Rather, his guilt of having caused his mother's death, made him look at the roots, at what had driven him to act like he did. Like he was doing just moments before.

As he was crying there alone, Harry vowed to really change. Always filled with anger, quickly jumping to conclusions, always ready to violently react to everything, always ready to attack someone, either with nasty words, or with his fists or his magic.

 _'I've been acting no different than that Malfoy...screaming and oppressing everyone around me until I got my way. And then, throwing tantrums that resulted in people getting hurt and, finally, my mother, Athena, dying, when things didn't go my way._

 _'Like a spoiled brat. I was just like spoiled brat with more power than I deserve.'_

Harry let himself fall on his elbows as he clenched his fists. He swore in that moment to change. To stop acting like a child and to become a truly mature person.

"How are the Argyris still putting up with someone like me?" Harry asked himself in wonder.

He realized in that moment how blessed he actually was. He had never been more aware than in that moment, of how much of a rotten apple he was and how big must have been the Argyris' kindness to have not only taken him in, but to have also put up with someone like him for such a long time.

Harry stopped his crying. There was a time for crying, and there was a time for making amends. He was going to make up with Sirius and that, not only for being allowed to use his family's vast library, but to also make peace with his godfather and with himself. Harry was also going to send another letter to the Argyris. A letter in which he was going to tell them that he will come for Christmas, to spend their holiday together. And he was willing to make efforts in order to show his appreciation from then on.

 _Scene break_

A 13 year old boy was standing in the middle of a small and shabby square, In London. Tall, dilapidated houses looked down on him from every side. It was a desolate scene, the bright snow that covered the streets not making it any better.

The boy walked up to the door where a the number 12 was inscribed. He knocked on the door three times and waited. When half a minute passed without anyone coming out, he repeated the action.

Eventually, the door was opened and a mess of hair and beard appeared from behind it.

"Hello." the boy said hesitantly, not sure how to begin.

"..."

The man behind the door rubbed at his eyes as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"That firewhisky must've messed with my head harded than I thought." the man mumbled to himself and groaned helplessly. He turned and closed the door before the boy had the time to react.

"Goddammit, it's me, Harry! Open the door, dumbass!"

The door opened so fast that Harry was impressed at the fact that its hinges were still holding it.

"W-What are you doing here, Harry?" the man asked, still finding it hard to believe that his godson was in front of his door.

"Can I get inside, first, please? It's freezing cold outside."

"S-Sure. Come in!"

With mugs of hot tea, Sirius and Harry were sitting in the living room, opposite of each other, on the couches in front of the fireplace.

"You look horrible." Harry said as he took in Sirius' appearance. Untidy and dirty hair, unshaven and overall, a messy appearance. Although it was noon, he was still in his pyjamas.

Sirius didn't reply, merely staring into fire.

Silence instilled between the two of them.

"Sirius... I'm sorry!"

Sirius' head snapped in Harry's direction.

"You don't have to apologise... I, too, have-"

"Please let me finish, Sirius." Harry asked him quietly.

His green and silver eyes looked down, at the hot liquid in his mug.

"In the past few days, I've been thinking about things... about myself, my behaviour, my personality...about the people close to me and about how I had interacted with them..."

He paused for a few moments.

"...And I found myself lacking in many areas. Undeserving of the great people that surround me."

"I-... I re-evaluated myself. Because of that, I decided to change. Don't think now that I'm suddenly a new person... but now, at least, I'm willing to change myself. To become a better person."

"And I knew that the first that I had to do was to apologise to you. Because, in the end, anger shouldn't be kept forever against family. I'm sorry."

Throughout his small speech, Harry didn't lift his eyes up from his mug. That's why, he was greatly surprised when the mug was taken away from his hands and then he found himself engulfed in a powerful hug.

"W-What the hell?!" he cried out. "L-Let go of me!" Harry yelled in embarrassment.

It was one thing to be hugged by a beautiful lady like Galatea or even Helen, and a completely different thing to be hugged by a man...who was not even exactly clean.

"Gah! Stop it, you stink like a wet dog!"

Suddenly he felt his shoulder getting wet.

"Now you're crying?! Why are you crying, are you a woman?!"

Despite Harry's sharp rebukes, Sirius couldn't find it in himself to shot anything back at him. He could only laugh his dog-like bark as tears fell from his eyes. After weeks of feeling miserable, something good finally happened for him too. Since Antoinette left him, it was the first time Sirius was smiling.

* * *

AN: What do you think about Harry's sudden revelation and his resolution to change himself? _In this chapter you also received some light regarding why are Harry's emotions so deeply linked to his magic and which are some of the consequences of Athena's possession of his body at the beginning of the year._

Important: I know I had a beta. A nice guy who actually wanted to help me proofread the entire story, from the very first chapter! ..however, I'm finding myself incapable of working with someone else. Apart from always forgetting who is my beta because of how slowly I'm updating, I also have the weird quirk of wanting to post my chapter as soon as possible after finishing it... Sorry Mr. Beta, sorry, my readers.


	47. Chapter 47 - Blooming

AN: this story has reached nearly 400 000 hits. Thank you for being right beside me all this time! Enjoy the new chapter! :)

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 47 – Blooming**

 _A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul. The soul has been split and the ripped pieces are hidden in an object outside the body. Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for those parts of the soul had remained earthbound and undamaged._

Harry's index finger trembled with excitement while he was trailing below the lines written of the page. After months of blindly researching, he finally found a clue!

The runes carved into the handle of his red wand glowed with a soft blue light when he whispered:

"Gemini!"

He was not allowed by Sirius to take out any of the books in the library, and that, for good reasons. That, however, did not stop Harry from finding a way to get past the interdiction.

A perfect duplicate of the old tome was conjured next to the original in a few moments after he cast the spell. Harry's right hand went then to the amulet hanging around his neck, to his most precious treasure, and his fingers gently caressed its rough texture.

The eyes of the woman carved on the pendant glowed with a red light and the copy Harry had created disappeared. Finishing the process, Harry turned towards the rest of the library.

One week after Harry and Sirius patched thing up, Harry asked Sirius for permission to use his library. Sirìus agreed to it on the condition that he wouldn't take anything out of the library - no original books, no copies, no written notes, nothing. Because Sirius was aware of what kind of books the Black family's library contained. He had agreed with Harry's request simply because he saw it as something to be expected from a nerd like him - after all, Harry was the best 3rd year student at Hogwarts - a year above other children his age. Besides, when he exited the library, Sirius did check Harry very rigorously, performing several charms on him to cancel any charms Harry could have used to shrink any books or to make them invisible and so on. He even physically searched from any enchanted items that could have stored objects - such as magical wallets.

However, through it all, Harry obediently listened to his demands. That's because he knew that Sirius - and nobody else for that matter, would never think that the stone pendant around his neck could store objects - there was no opening, no space through which they could be inserted.

 _Scene break_

After more than 5 hours spent in Sirius' library, Harry was now back at Hogwarts, into his dorm, in the Slytherin dungeon. It was Saturday evening now.

Although Harry had snuck away from the premises of the school to go to Sirius, nobody noticed his absence. Since two months ago - starting with the time when he began to learn Occlumency - people got used to barely seeing his face. He was seen only during classes as in the rest of the time he was nowhere to be found.

Harry rubbed at his eyes tiredly. He glanced at the wristwatch Hector and Galatea had gifted him.

"It's 1 o'clock already..."

He had been so absorbed into his research that he hadn't noticed that passing of time. Now it was past the middle of the night and he was finally beginning to feel his tiredness catching up to him.

Without changing his clothes, he threw himself in his bed.

"I'm so tired..."

But for some reason, his brain simply didn't want to go to sleep. He was exhausted, but the excitement of finally finding "the way" was making his mind work even more laboriously than usual.

 _'The Gorgoneion has all along been a Horcrux, huh...'_

 _'So that's what she meant when she said that she was just a shell of what she used to be..'_

Now things started to make real sense and he even deduced some things:

 _'To get to this point...her body must have been destroyed.'_

 _'Someone must have tried to kill her... no, someone truly killed her body.'_

But then, another question rose up in his mind: just who was powerful enough to kill someone like Athena? Powerful enough to kill a god?

 _'If legends were true, nobody except for a deity would be able to do that. Or at least someone like Hercules who was a demigod powerful beyond belief.'_

At that thought, Harry shook his head. Hercule, gods, demigods... everything seemed so abstract for him. Especially since the situation didn't make sense to him. By all means, if the legends were to be true, Athena was the most powerful deity in existence, not only because of her strength, but her wisdom as well. She was said to be able to become as powerful as the King of gods himself while also being a goddess of wisdom. Not to mention that Athena had multiple times decisively defeated Ares, the God of War. That being said, just who would be able to kill such a being?

Harry couldn't make sense of it. But he banished those thoughts.

 _'Thinking about what had happened god know how many millenniums ago is of not help. My focus should be on the present, on repenting for what I did, on finding a way to bring her back.'_ Harry thought.

Harry had read in the tome about Horcuxes that they were created by splitting one's soul and the requirement was murdering someone in cold blood.

 _'Would I be willing to go that far?'_

Harry breathed out a loud sigh. He refused to think about that question any longer. His purpose was not to create a Horcux for himself but to revitalise another one. He had no idea whatsoever if something like that had even been done before, but he was still hopeful. He hoped he would find something in those tens of books that he had magically copied and stored into his Gorgoenion.

With that thought in mind, his heterochromatic eyes closed and he fell into a deep sleep.

 _Scene break_

 _'So much shit happened this semester...'_

Harry thought as he looked back at his time that year at Hogwarts. He was beginning to miss the routine he used to have as a street rat, in the past: waking up, eating, going to "work", coming back home, eating again and sleeping.

But then, he shook his head wordlessly. There was no way he could ever go back to that kind of life.

Harry looked through the window at the students crowding to get into the train. It was the end of the first semester and the eve of winter holiday. Everyone at Hogwarts was oozing with excitement at the thought of celebrating the Christmas with their family. And Harry was no different: he truly missed the Argyris. He missed watching Hector and Iason bickering; he missed Helen admonishing him when he did something stupid; he missed Galatea's gentle smile and her loving care. He missed Lilith as well. He could barely wait to see her radiant smile and to take her in his arms.

Harry caressed the Gorgoneion hanging by his neck, under his blouse. And the most of all, he missed Athena.

 _'Would we have celebrated Christmas together had she been alive? Would she even care about it?'_

It was an interesting topic for Harry. He hadn't had the chance to ask Athena about it deeing as the last winter they had not been as close to each other as they became towards the end of the summer.

Depressing thoughts were about to bloom in his mind but Harry swiftly put an end to them, using the most basic function of Occlumency. Instead, he chose to be optimistic. The Christmas was coming soon and he wanted to be happy together with his family. He didn't want to ruin their mood.

So deeply immersed into his thoughts he was, that he nearly missed the clamour at his compartment's door.

 _"Eww...what in the Merlin's name happened here?"_ someone said after noticing the shit smeared all over the door of the compartment.

 _"Gwyneth, sometimes you're so dumb that I feel ashamed to associate myself with you."_

 _"What was that, Danforth? Care to explain me why?"_

 _"Think just who is inside that compartment...what student would be courageous...no, not the right word - who would be stupid enough to do something like this? Harry will beat the living daylights out of anyone who would dare to do this."_

 _"You mean that-"_

Another feminine voice was heard cutting into their conversation.

 _"-this must be a mild repelling ward."_

 _"Amazing!"_ one more girl exclaimed.

Harry groaned. He had wished to be alone with his thoughts. Dan and Gwen were a nice company, but sometimes they were tiring. And they would become tiring after hours of witnessing them bickering like an old married couple. But, having peace and quiet was not meant to be as he heard Dan's voice again:

 _"Finite Incantatem!"_

 _"Hmpf! I could have done that too!"_ Gwen said snobbishly.

 _"Sure you could."_ Dan snickered and tried to pry open the door of the compartment.

 _"Ugh, figures he'll also lock it. If he's like that at this age, can you imagine what a hermit he'll become at 80?"_ Dan said and a chorus of girls snickering was heard.

 _"Let me, let me, I'll cast the Unlocking Charm!"_ a voice pleaded enthusiastically. It was Astoria.

 _"Um, sure, go ahead."_ Dan agreed.

 _"Alohomora!"_

The sound of someone trying to pull open the door was heard again and Harry couldn't help but chuckle when he imagined just what faces they must have been making.

" _Why does it not work?"_

 _"Wait, let me try it as well. Alohomora!"_

The same voice that deduced existence of the mild repelling ward was heard again:

 _"The Unlocking Charm is used for unlocking. If you take a closer look, the door seems to have been morphed into the walls. In fact there is no door anymore."_

Seeing that they couldn't find a solution, Dan used the most primitive manner to get his way.

 _*bang*_

 _*bang*_

His hand imitated the motion of knocking but his knuckles rapped so heavily against the door that it could not be called knocking anymore but punching the door.

 _"Harry, I know you are there! Open the door! You prick, I'll stay here and hit the door even 5 hours if necessary!"_

Harry couldn't help himself. He wanted to rile him up a bit.

 _"So are you going to stop after 5 hours? Fine with me!"_

The effect of his words was instantaneous:

 _"Gah! Opened the door, you asshole!"_

Still chuckling, Harry touched the door with the tip of his wand. One moment later, he found himself in Dan's chokehold.

 _Scene break_

"What are you going to do this Christmas holiday? Do you have something in mind?" Dan asked, with Gwen following immediately with another one:

"Because if you don't, I would like to invite you to the Christmas ball."

Harry blanked at them.

"Do I look like someone who would enjoy this kind of shit?"

"Umm...yes?" Dan tried weakly.

Harry could only roll his eyes, which elicited a twinkling laughter from Astoria.

"Dan, he put a repelling spell and transfigured the door of the compartment in order to stay away from his own friends...what are the chances he'll want to spend the Christmas with a bunch of strangers about whom he doesn't care?" Astoria asked.

"Still..." she continued and her eyes turned to Harry "I wish you would come. This way we'll all get to see you."

"Oh? Are you going to the ball as well?" Harry asked intrigued.

"This is an event that every pureblood family takes part in. It's a tradition." Gwen explained.

Daphne, Astoria's sister felt the need to inform him properly about the situation.

"This ball has started mostly as a way for the scions of every noble house to interact with each other, with the purpose of forging friendships, maybe future alliances or, most importantly, finding their significant other. It was the perfect solution for the pureblood families to make sure that their children will find a suitable partner instead of mingling with the commoners."

Harry had not shut down the idea in the beginning, but when he heard the real reason at the base of this event, he refused instantly.

"I'll never choose something like this over spending the Christmas with my family in our cozy chalet in Norway, drinking hot chocolate and watching the Northern Lights." Harry said almost dreamily. "It's truly the most beautiful sight I've ever seen in my entire life."

"Besides that," Harry added "going to that ball would be useless for me."

"Why?" Gwen asked "You can make new friends, expand your connections-"

"I don't need them. Right now I am friends with son of United Kingdom's Minister of Magic and with his future wife." Harry said and broke into laughter when he saw Dan and Gwen sputtering and go red in the face

"I also get along with the beautiful heir of the Greengrass family and her adorable younger sister is probably my best friend at Hogwarts." Harry said, making the two sister lightly blush at his praise and Dan boo at him for naming Astoria as his best friend at Hogwarts instead of him.

"See? I have all the connections and friends that I need. Any more than that and things would become too troublesome."

"What about bagging yourself a babe?" Dan asked shrewdly, making the three girls in the compartment glare at him.

In comparison, Harry looked at him in amusement. Oh, if only he knew just what kind of "babe" he had "bagged"...

 _Scene break_

The King's Cross was as crowded Harry has always seen it. In spite of the freezing cold outside, the platform was bustling with chatter, all the students excitedly greeting their families.

"I've got to go, Harry. Dad is a very busy man, he can't wait me for too long." Dan said when they exited the train and gave Harry a short, one armed, manly hug.

"I'm going to miss you. Promise you'll write, ok?" Gwen said and hugged Harry as well, in a manner oddly similar to how Dan did it.

"Also, don't you dare to forget to send me a present or I'll break your head when I see you at school again." Dan threatened and Harry grinned at him.

With that, the two hurried towards their respective families.

When Harry turned towards the two sisters, Daphne took his hand in a hand shake:

"I truly appreciate what you did for me and Astoria, although we didn't deserve it. I am grateful and a Greengrass never forgets his benefactors." Daphne said sincerely. "happy holidays!" the normally serious girl said and smiled warmly before taking a step back and looking at her father who was advancing towards them.

Turning towards Astoria, Harry was met by a strange sight.

"Why...why are you crying?" Harry askes, unsure of how to react.

"C-Can I hug you?" the girl asked meekly, her pale face, a bit flushed.

Although uncomfortable, Harry couldn't find it in himself to refuse her. She looked just a small animal, one whom you couldn't help but want to treasure and protect.

Astoria latched onto him and said in a trembling voice:

"You're the first friend I've ever had. I'm going to m-miss you."

Hearing her saying those kind of words, Harry unconsciously tightened his arms around her.

"Dummy. It's just a few weeks, there is no need to cry like a baby."

"Come on, I think your father is coming. He's looking quite pointedly at us."

Astoria finally let go of him. Smiling tearfully one more time, she ran towards her father and sister.

Although a few good minutes had passed, the platform was still as crowded as before, the number of people actually increasing with the arrival of the horde of reporters. Harry hummed in understanding - they were waiting for the Boy Who Lived to exit the train.

After looking around for a while, Harry finally found them: he finally spotted the Argyris. His face was lighted up by a bright smile at the sight of Galatea and Irene hugging each other. This year Irene - and Sirius too for that matter - was going to spend the Christmas with them.

Harry was just about to join them, when a bright light blinded his eyes and he found himself mobbed by the group of reporters. It didn't take Harry too long to find the cause - it was Neville. Apparently, he wanted to talk to him.

"Hey Harry, wait up!"

Harry looked at him questionably. It was probably the first time Neville called him by his first name as most of the time hey were using their surnames or were just insulting each other. He was just about to say something nasty but he held it in.

 _'I said that I will become a better person...'_ was what Harry murmured to himself.

"What is it?" he asked instead.

"My parents said they'd like to know you better. They had been very good friends with your parents in the past. They asked me to invite you to spend the Christmas-"

Neville didn't get to finish his words as Harry refused him categorically.

"I'm afraid I'll have to refuse."

Nevile's face became red. Whether it was because of anger or embarrassment, or a mixture of both, Harry didn't know.

"But why?!" Neville all but yelled. In his opinion no sane person would throw away the chance to spend an entire holiday with him, the Boy Who Lived, and his family... That should have been the case even more than so for an orphan like Harry.

"Had your parents invited me a few years ago, I would have come. But now, there is no way I would." Harry said flatly. "Now be sensible and stop insisting. Don't make a fool out of yourself in front of everyone."

Harry turned on his heels without sparing a glance to Neville and his approaching family. He was clearly aware what was the Longbottoms' real aim.

 _'They obviously don't give a crap about me. It's all just for the media, to show everyone what a perfect family they are and how big is their kindness by offering an orphan to not spend the Christmas alone.'_

Harry sighed and asked himself: _'Would I have acted the same way had I been in their place?'_

Shaking his head, he put those thoughts aside.

 _'I'm pleased with the way things are now. I don't need fame. I have a family. If only had Athena been here as well, I would have been the happiest person alive.'_

With a renewed smile, he headed again towards those with whom he belonged.

 _Scene break_

"This is a fool's errand..." Harry said in helplessness.

On the desk in front of his eyes tens of pieces of paper had been thrown messily, each one of them having a failed example of a magic circle.

Merely drawing the circle on a paper and writing the runes correctly proved a big challenge because not only that the circle had to be perfect, the complicated forms of the runes had to be perfectly drawn as well.

It took him hours to just draw a good copy of the magic circle required for the ritual concerning a Horcrux' creation... but Harry's task was to alter it, not to just merely copy it.

 _'This is impossible.'_

 _'It took God knows how much time for Herpo the Foul to create it and he was actually contemporary to what we call nowadays Ancient Runes. For him, those runes were not ancient...and he was a dark lord, a formidable wizard. What chance do I have to create one myself? Me, who can barely recognize 10 percent of the runes in the magic circle?'_

Harry had taken Ancient Runes as an elective this year but what could this amount for? How could barely 3 months of studying be compared to being an expert in Ancient Runes?

He pointed his red wand at the papers sprawled on the desk and murmured:

"Evanesco!"

He groaned and buried his face into his palms.

 _'Just how many months or even years would it take for me to even attempt doing something like this, let alone succeed in it?'_

Another question, one that sent shivers down his spine popped up. A voice whispered to him:

 _'And how many people will you have to kill before you'll finally succeed?'_

He was greatly startled. So single-mindedly he had focused on the idea of bringing Athena back that he didn't take count of everything that that actually entail. It was the first time thought about all the ramifications of his actions.

Was he prepared to go that way? Was he willing to go that far for Athena? Willing kill so many people in cold blood? It was one thing to murder one person – Harry actually had a few vile persons that, in his opinion, would get the Dementor's Kiss of their deeds were to be brought to light – and a completely different thing to kill probably even ten people until the he made sure that the ritual worked.

Suddenly, a soft fragrance of lavender reached him and he noticed someone approaching him.

"Boo!" she yelled.

But Harry didn't even bat an eye.

"Ugh, why do you never get scared?" she asked in annoyance.

Harry smiled at the sight of her pouting face, which only served to further annoy her.

"I heard you coming."

Lilith glared at him.

"Liar! I used a Silencing Charm on myself, there was no way you could hear me!"

He laughed out loud.

"Hn. Laugh all you want dumbass!" she said spitefully and crossed her arms.

It was Christmas' Eve and since the start of the holiday, Lilith had been trying every day to scare him. At first, it was just for fun. But Lilith, being the person she was, transformed the fun in an ambition to scare him after having not succeeded even once.

They stood in silence for a few good moments until Harry thought:

 _'Here she goes: 5...4...3...2..1!'_

As on cue, Lilith began:

"Come ooon, tell me!" she begged. It was eating at her not knowing what she was doing wrong.

Harry kept his face straight, but he was inwardly smirking when he acted as if he was finally giving in:

"Ok, ok, I'll tell you!"

"You know that I used to have both of my eyes green, right?"

At that, Lilith looked deeply into his eyes.

"Quite staring at me like that, you're making me feel weird." Harry rebuked, his face a bit flushed.

"Aww, is poor and innocent Harry getting flustered by the big bad veela staring down at him?" Lilith said teasingly.

"Do you want to hear it or not?" Harry yelled at her making her burst into laughter.

Harry felt his heart skip when she heard her laughing. Even when she was laughing obnoxiously he was finding her adorable. Having been 2 months away from her, at school, he nearly forgot what an enchanting being a veela could be.

"Ok, ok, I'll stop." she said still giggling. "Go on, I'm all ears."

Harry glared at her half-heartedly but he regained his composure right away. He was going to get back at her very soon.

 _'It will be my turn to laugh then.'_

"As I was saying before you started staring at me as if you'd want to wolf me down-"

"Why you!"

"-my eyes used to be green. But now, one of them turned silver."

"Do you see this silver eye? It's the consequence of a failed spell to remove my bad eyesight. I performed the spell myself. However, I was lucky: while I should have normally lost my sight -"

By now Lilith was staring at him mouth-agape in disbelief.

"- one of my eyes was mutated."

Harry couldn't believe himself the bullshit he was spouting in the spur of the moment. Reading all those Marvel comics as a child sure made his imagination...marvellous.

"That being said, with my silver eye, I have a 360 degrees vision!"

"You must be pulling my leg, there's no way for that to be true!"

Harry continued as if he didn't hear Lilith.

"Not only that! I can even see through walls...and through clothes as well." Harry said an then, he looked at Lilith suggestively, making a show of roaming his eyes over her body.

Lilith's mouth clamped shout and her face flushed visibly. When she even saw him leering at her with what she perceived as a perverted look in his eyes, she stepped back horrified and covered her chest with her arms.

Harry burst into laughter so hard that he fell off his chair, beating the floor with his fist.

"S-Stupefy!"

Harry's body became petrified and his laughter died out abruptly when he lost consciousness.

"You...you jerk!" A beet red Lilith yelled at him, on the verge of crying out of anger and embarrassment at having fallen for his crude joke.

 _Scene break_

"Enervate!"

Harry groaned when he felt himself being awakened by someone.

"Ugh, what happened?"

A chuckle came from his side.

"So you ARE your father's son!" Sirius said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

On the other side of the room, Iason laughed as well as he said.

"You took the joke a bit too far, but...what can I say? It's been a long time since the last time I saw someone getting pranked like that."

Harry asked in disbelief when he finally made sense of the situation.

"Did... did she just stupefy-ed me?!"

"Quite the temper she has. Aye, Harry, props to you. You've found yourself someone just as crazy as your mother." Sirius chuckled.

"Where is she now?"

"She's in her room." Iason said "Helen grounded her. Once again, it's been years since Lilith was last grounded for doing something."

Now it was Harry's turn to feel bad.

"Grounded? Is it not a bit too much?"

Iason shook his head and said categorically.

"No, not at all. Mean joke or not, it was just a joke. You don't knock people unconscious for something like that. Helen loves Lilith like the light of her eyes...but that is exactly why she had to punish her in some way."

Sirius was surprised by Iason's words. Unlike the Argyris, very few pureblood families disciplined their children. That was the very reason why many of the heirs of pureblood families turned out as spoiled and bratty like Draco Malfoy for example.

"Can I...can I go talk to her?" Harry asled hesitantly. He knew that Lilith was not supposed to see anyone since she was grounded, but he couldn't bear with just leaving things like that.

A kind smile bloomed on Iason's face when he saw through Harry's intentions.

 _'He really cares about her, huh..'_

"Alright. I'll keep Helen busy in the meantime, just make sure you get to Lilith's room without being noticed."

 _Scene break_

They've been living in that house for only 2 days - they were currently in the chalet the Argyris owned in the Northernmost part of Norway - but even so, after only two days, Lilith's room...smelled like Lilith. At least this was the first thought Harry had when he entered her room.

"Go away, I don't want to se you!" Lilith jeered at him.

Seeing Harry not leaving, with a wave of her wand, the curtains of her princess-like bed were shut close, obscuring her from his view. However, before that, Harry caught a glimpse of her red eyes.

 _'She's been crying.'_

Harry pulled the chair from the desk in Lilith's room and brought it next to her bed.

"It was your smell." Harry broke the silence after he took a seat. "Every time you tried to sneak up on me, an unmistakable fragrance of lavender always reached me first."

Lilith merely kept her silence, as if she was ignoring him.

"Look, I'm sorry. I went too far with the joke."

Lilith mumbled something but Harry didn't really understand what she said. However, he took it as an "apology accepted" and, pulling the curtains to the side, Harry took a seat at the edge of the bed.

Lilith was sitting curled up but her silvery-white hair was sprawled on the entire bed, greatly complimenting the starry sky painted on the bedsheets.

She looked just like an angel.

"I love your hair...so long, so smooth and silky. And its silvery colour...so beautiful! This is the thing I like the most at you." Harry said sincerely as he caressed her long tresses of hair.

Given Lilith's vain personality, Harry would soon find out that the best way to make Lilith accept his apologies in the future would be to sincerely compliment her looks. Lilith loved being admired. She loved being told that she was the most beautiful.

That being said, hearing Harry praising her hair with such honesty made her smile involuntarily. As the saying goes - a woman's hair is her life; that was especially the case for someone like Lilith, whose hair actually reached below her waist! It took a great deal of effort from her part to keep it that long and to make sure it stayed healthy and beautiful.

Lilith scooted closer to Harry, but she remained with her back turned at him. It made Harry smile. He closed in the remaining distance and bent down to her, placing a caste kiss on her soft cheek.

That finally did it - she turned with her face at him and smiled. Vain and quick tempered she may be, but Lilith was one of those girls that were very honest with their feelings. If something annoyed her - she would tell. If something made her happy - she smiled. And seeing Harry acting so nicely to her, made Lilith wipe away his "sins" from her book.

Lilith lifted herself on her elbows and her baby blue eyes looked at Harry expectantly, her small tongue unknowingly wet her soft looking red lips sensually. He understood the message - bending to her level, Harry's eyes closed as their lips met into a loving kiss.

Lilith closed her eyes too. It was bliss. Every time they kissed, it felt better and better. For them, every kiss seemed special, every time their lips met, they got lost in the feelings they held for each other.

They broke the contact after a while. They revelled in the affection they saw in each other's eyes.

Harry's hand reached up and he cupped her face. Lilith closed her eyes again and leaned into his touch as his thumb gently caressed her soft cheek.

"You mean so much for me, Lilith." Harry said, surprising not only Lilith, but himself as well.

Lilith's white complexion glowed with a red hue at his words and her stomach started to feel funny.

"I think I-"

But Harry couldn't continue his sentence as a dainty and soft index finger touched his lips.

"If you tell me something like this now... I don't think I will be able to control myself around you from now on anymore." Lilith said and the red in her cheeks intensified at what she had just admitted.

Harry nodded in understanding and pecked her on the forehead before backing away. After their heated encounter two months and a half before, the two of them decided to be careful from then on and take things slowly. They were, after all, only 12 respectively 13 years old. It would not be normal for them to cross the line at that age.

Harry rested his back on the bed's headboard and Lilith leaned with her head on his shoulder. She yawned and closed her eyes. The crying from before had drained her of energy.

"I'll let you get some sleep, ok?"

"Nooo, stay here!" she said in a manner reminiscent of a spoiled child.

"Ok, but at least get yourself into a comfortable sleeping position if you want me to stay."

"But you are very comfortable!" she protested.

"You'll wake up with a stiff neck if you fall asleep like that."

There was a staring contest for a few seconds, but eventually Lilith relented.

"Fine! But you still won't get away from me!" she said and smiled at the new idea she got.

Moving the pillows to the other side of the bed, she laid in their stead, her head resting now on Harry's thigh.

"Riiiight... comfortable sleeping position." Harry mumbled, making her giggle and bite his leg.

"Gah! Stop biting idiot!" Harry yelled, only making her laugh out loud again.

Harry levitated the blanket and covered Lilith with it. The girl sighed and rubbed her face on his thigh in content. She just loved it when Harry was so caring. She felt like a spoiled princess.

When Harry's fingers started to roam through her hair and softly massage her scalp, Lilith closed her eyes in bliss. That degree of comfort proved to be too much as it lulled her to sleep in a matter of seconds. Because of that, she didn't realize that she spoke out the last thought that she had before falling asleep.

"I love you, Harry."

Hearing the words she said in her sleep, Harry froze. But then, his hands returned to their gentle caressing as he whispered softly to himself.

"I love you too, Lilith."

* * *

AN: Took longer than usual to write this chapter. I always found it hard to write fluff and I'm never confident of its quality. That, however, is up to you, the readers to decide.

The title "Blooming" is referring to Harry's and Lilith's deeper feelings for each other starting to bloom.

(I'm not an English native and I have no beta. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)


	48. Chapter 48 - Dare to hope!

AN:

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 48 - Dare to hope!**

"Tea, I don't think this is a good idea. It's freezing cold for a healthy person, let alone you!" Hector said, his face betraying his worry.

Galatea smiled serenely.

"Look at my appearance, Hector... how much time do I think that I have left?"

Hector couldn't look her in the eyes.

"I have two, maybe 3 years at most - and that, if I were to only sit in bed the entire day, not moving a muscle."

"But what would be the point in living such a live? For me, a fulfilling life is that where I spent my time in the company of the people I love. I'd rather live only 1 more year, enjoying everything life has to offer than 3 years in worry and pain. Death is a natural part of our lives. We all die one day. Yelling and rebelling against the idea won't change the final outcome. Then, if that is the case, why not make the most of what is left of our time?"

Hector took her in his arms and embraced her tightly to his chest. Galatea sighed. Between the two of them, it seemed like Hector was the one most rattled by her situation. She had never expected him to be so dependent of her. Looking how broken he was, it pained her and it worried her that when she died, Lilith would remain not just without a mother but without a father too. Because if she was reading her husband well - and, as his wife, there was no way she was mistaken - Hector looked like he would rather follow her to the grave instead of living in a world without her. At this thought, her eyes filled with unshed tears. She reigned them in though. It was the Christmas' Eve, two hours before the middle of the night. It was nearly the moment when the entire family went outside, watching the magnificent Northern Lights and just enjoying each other's presence.

"What do you say about making Lilith and Harry stop attending the school next year?" Hector asked her after a period of silence.

Galatea opened her mouth to protest vehemently against the idea, but Hector tightened his arms around her.

"Please Tea, listen to me."

Galatea gave up and rested her head on her husband's broad chest.

"We both know that Lilith is far more advanced than her peers - she didn't skip a year for nothing. Staying home 1 year won't hurt at all. Not to mention that under our tutelage, she actually gets a better education than at school; after all, until recently, Lilith had not attended school at all."

"As for stopping Harry - of course, we will ask him, we won't impose our will on him."

Galatea said in doubt:

"You know that both Harry and Lilith are more mature than their physical age and that their intelligence is not to be belittled. They will surely suspect that something is amiss. And I don't want them finding out about my condition. I do not want to see them looking at me with worry and pity...I do not want to see Lilith in pain."

 _Scene break_

 _'Can anyone be more perfect than that?'_ Harry asked himself in wonder as he looked at the girl snoring softly in his lap. So lost he had been in admiring her that hours passed without him noticing - he had just stood there, caressing her from time to time and marvelling at how she unconsciously responded in her sleep to his affectionate touch by snuggling closer to him every time.

But, at some point, his body became all stiff. Staying two-three hours in the same position would make anyone feel like that. Gently lifting up Lilith's head, Harry sat up from the bed.

 _'It's 10 o'clock already.'_ he mused as he looked at his wristwatch. _'I guess I'll go take a nap in my room until the middle of the night.'_

He looked at the way Lilith was cuddling with the pillow that he had replaced himself with. It felt so inviting to just go back and sleep next to her... But he shook his head. It was not proper for him to do something like this, Hector would skin him alive.

Before going to his room, he decided to go to the kitchen, to pour himself a glass of water. When he was about to open the door, a voice reached his ears:

 _"Tea, I don't think this is a good idea. It's freezing cold for a healthy person, let alone you!"_

 _'Are they arguing?'_

Harry has been living with the Argyris for more than a year already but, in spite of that, he had never seen them having an argument. It wasn't that he naively believed they didn't argue at all. But they always did it privately, never making the mood tense in the family. Today was the first time he witnessed them not agreeing on something. Curiosity made him stop and eavesdrop.

 _[...]_

 _Scene break_

"Ah, wizards can say whatever they want, Muggles will always have better carols!" Iason said.

Of course, like usual, Hector just had to say something to contradict him. From this, a battle of saying names of successful magical respectively muggle bands began.

The Argyris were sitting all together with Harry and Sirius outside, on a very large wooden bench made of tree trunks. Unlike the previous year, the sky was crystal clear. They were watching the magnificent Aurora Borealis while they conversed with each other. From one side to the other, they were seated as it follows: Sirius, Helen, Irene, Galatea, Hector, Iason, Lilith and Harry.

A series of runes were carved into the wooden bench, making it stay warm, without melting the surrounding snow. That, coupled with the fact that everyone was dressed properly and that they were all huddled together, made them not feel any discomfort.

Hector and Iason were absorbed into their debate while Galatea, Irene and Helen were engaging Sirius into their discussion, wanting to make him feel as if he belonged there, with everyone. Because it was in this kind of moments - during holidays - that those who were alone felt the more lonely than ever.

In the meantime, Lilith and Harry were cuddling, huddled together, with a blanket covering them both up to their necks. One of his arms was wrapped tightly around her waist and she was leaning in his embrace, with her head resting in the crook of his neck.

"Everything is so nice." Lilith sighed happily. "Being here with our family, watching the sky and...and also having you with me."

"Hmm." Harry distractedly made a noise of approval.

Lilith turned to look at him - there were no artificial lights turned on, but the aurora-lighted starry sky was so bright that they could see each other well.

"Harry, is there something wrong?"

He looked at her secretly startled. He had been thinking about the conversation he had eavesdropped on a few hours before. The thought that this Christmas was probably the last one they would spend in this fashion filled him with sorrow.

"No, I'm fine. Just thinking..."

"Thinking of what?" Lilith asked tilting her head.

"Thinking... of how I wish for nothing to change. To come here every year with you and your family. To always be together."

He felt a jab into his ribs.

"Ouch, what was that for?" he complained.

"It's not "my" family. It's "our" family. We all love you as though you were one of us. It's only your name that is different."

"Actually, you are all silver-haired, except Hector who is brunette. I can go on - I'm English, you are Greek. You have normal eyes, mine-"

"Shut it idiot."

"- are like that of an odd-eyed cat. I'm also-"

Seeing him not listening to shut up, Lilith's pearly white teeth clamped on the lob of his ear.

"Ah!"

Fortunately, the sound he had made was not any louder than a gasp, so nobody else took notice of it.

"Do you want to get us both killed?!" Harry yelled in a whisper.

Lilith simply giggled and kissed his cheek.

At that moment, Harry felt as though he was eating chocolate and drinking Swedish bitter at the same time: on one side he was happy at being with Lilith and the rest of the family. But on the other side, he was torn inside because of Athena's absence and Galatea's impending death. He was filled with a mixture of sweet and bitter feelings. It was the first time in his life that he experienced these feelings at the same time.

 _Scene break_

Neat houses clustered together on each side of the road. A small village, centred around a small church and a post office. A rather picturesque village in the West Country of England.

 _*crack*_

With a sharp sound, two silhouettes appeared in the middle of a side alley, seemingly out of thin air.

"Ugh." a 12 year old boy groaned as he tried to stand still on his feet.

"You're not throwing up.. Impressive!" the man next to him said and burst into laughter.

The boy was so dizzy that he couldn't even muster the strength to glare at him.

"You could've warned me first."

"And what would be the fun in that?" the man chuckled.

The two were none other than Sirius and Harry. Still bickering, the two began walking on the narrow street, sounds of crunching being heard as they stepped on the untouched snow. Clearly, seldom anybody passed by on the streets that day. When Sirius told him that he wanted to spend one day just the two of them together, Harry expected something like going to Zonko's or to a cinema in the Muggle world, not treading through ankle deep snow in a small and remote village.

"Sirius, what are we doing in this place?"

"This place is called Godric's Hollow." Sirius said and stopped, turning to look into his godson's eyes. "This is where you were born. This is where James and Lily lived with you before they died."

The two continued to walk in silence. Eventually, the row of houses ended and they reached the edge of the village. In front of them was the cemetery.

It was a small cemetery, with identically-shaped tombstones tightly packed at barely 3 feet away from each other.

Sirius went ahead, with Harry trailing behind him. Sirius' steps were fast and sure; he looked as if he knew his way around very well.

Eventually, they stopped. Harry's eyes fell on the two tombstones next to each other. It was Lily's and James Potter's graves.

Sirius flicked his wand and two bouquets of flowers were conjured. He placed them on each tomb and took a step back.

Harry, on the other hand, didn't know what he was supposed to do. He didn't feel anything in particular for his biological parents. Because of the manner in which he grew up, Harry didn't care about blood relations at all. If anything, Harry felt uncomfortable because he knew that a normal person was supposed to feel sorry even if he had not met his parents at all. But he was shook from his thoughts when Sirius spoke.

"Harry Argyris-Potter...I'm glad you kept your name, Harry. I'm glad you didn't give up on the name of Potter."

Right after the New Year, Harry Potter became the newest addition to the Argyris family. Harry had already intended to take Helen on her offer before, but at the end of this school year, not soon. However, after hearing about Galatea's situation, his lingering hesitation vanished. What was there to hesitate about? The Argyris had taken care of him for so long without asking for anything in return. They always treated him like their very child.

"Your parents loved you very much, Harry." Sirius said. "I'm not just saying that because they were your parents... they really did. After all, they died to save your life."

Those words startled Harry. Truthfully, ever since he learned about his parents being dead, he had never researched in detail the cause of it. He just knew that Voldemort's followers killed them.

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked, his throat all of a sudden becoming sore.

"The Death Eaters didn't specifically target you...but after Voldemort's demise, they went into a murdering spree. Many of the families whose members had participated in the war were attacked. And your family was one of the victims too."

Sirius' voice seemed to crack towards the end and he stood silent a few moment to recollect himself.

"That...that day, I was in kitchen. It was dinner time; I was eating...when you appeared on the table in front of me. The still glowing teddy next to you made me understand that you had been portkeyed to my house."

Sirius sighed, his eyes looking vacantly at the snow-covered cemetery.

"Children younger than 3 years old are not allowed to use portkeys or to side-apparate. It is not safe. James and Lily would have never done something like that to their baby. I knew something was wrong. I instantly Apparated to their house."

A lone tear fell from Sirius' eyes as he could still vividly recall the scene as if it was happening right then under his eyes.

"I... I heard them shouting that they already killed James. That it was not fun enough the way they killed him. That they should have played with him before ending his life..."

"Just as I entered the house, I saw the green light of the Killing Curse that ended your mother's life."

Sirius turned towards Harry and knelt to his level. He grabbed him softly from his shoulders and his blue eyes glanced deeply into Harry's as he spoke.

"Do you understand what your mother did, Harry?"

Not waiting for Harry's answer, Sirius continued.

"Lily was a brilliant witch. One of the most talented I've ever seen in my entire life... had she been alone, she could have escaped from there, probably even unharmed... but she had you. And she loved you more than she loved her own life... instead of saving herself, she chose to make a portkey and throw it on you, saving your life. She didn't have time to take you in her arms and Disapparate together. All she could do was a throw the portkey on you. She had traded her life for yours."

Harry broke the eye contact and looked at his own feet. He stood silent for a long while. Sirius began to worry that it had not been a good idea to expose Harry to the truth about his parents.

"Those murderers..." Harry asked "...where are they now?"

"Hell. I sent them all there with my own hands."

"As for the one that sold them out to the Death Eaters... when I was finished with him, he begged me to kill him."

Hearing that the murderers were killed made Harry content but when he heard the last part, he stared at Sirius in disbelief. Killing someone in revenge was acceptable, in his opinion, given those circumstances. He actually applauded such actions. But he had never expected Sirius to be the kind of person that had it in himself to torture someone to death. Until then, in his eyes, Sirius had looked more like an impulsive, naive and immature man. It was one thing to kill someone in anger and a totally different thing to torture someone. What he heard now, however, made him understand the complexity of Sirius Black's personality: Sirius may be goofing around and chasing skirts, drinking and making jokes, but that was not all of him. Deeply buried inside of him, there was another side of him hidden - the Sirius Black that was raised in a family with a real tradition in practicing the Dark Arts. The heir of a family whose most of the members became dark wizards and witches.

Sirius sat up and looked back at the graves of James and Lily Potter.

"Just so you know, I'm not mad at you for having accepted to be adopted by the Argyris. I understand the reasons for that - they were the only ones that took your side, exactly when you needed the most. They accepted you with open arms and gave you a home."

"And I'm really grateful to them for that. People as kind and generous as them are very rare nowadays. It's just that..."

Sirius sighed.

"Just... do not forget that your parents loved you more than their very life, Harry. Do not forget that... that you're a Potter."

 _Scene break_

Having hugged everyone, Lilith was the only one left. She jumped into his arms and embraced him tightly.

"I'm going to miss you so much!" Lilith said into his ear.

Harry smiled.

"Well, remember that Sirius and your parents gave us quite the gift for Christmas."

Lilith's face was lighted by a brilliant smile. She and Harry had received for Christmas a pair of 2 palm-sized mirrors. The excitement she felt at the thought that she could talk and see Harry through them every day from then on, made her radiate happiness.

"Yeah, it's the best thing ever! But, they are your parents too, dumbass."

"Oh right... it just that it will take a while for me to get used to the idea." Harry said and laughed awkwardly.

The sharp whistle of the train was heard and Harry let go of Lilith's hand reluctantly.

"I have to go." Harry said and hugged Lilith one more time. He wanted to kiss her intimately but even if their family agreed with them being together, Harry had a feeling that Hector would not appreciate seeing his daughter snogging with someone in front of his eyes.

He was just about to break the hug and turn when he heard Iason shouting:

"Come on, Harry! Be a man and kiss her! How could possibly leave just like that?"

Harry and Lilith got all red in the face at his words. Their eyes met and they felt their stomach flutter. Lilith baby blue eyes fell on his lips and she bit her own lips longingly. Harry didn't need another invitation. His lips met hers. It was a chaste, innocent kiss.

Sirius and Iason whistled and a loud snap was heard, accompanied by a bright blitz. Everyone turned towards the source, Lilith and Harry also ending their kiss. There, smiling from one ear to another, was Galatea with a steaming photo camera in her hands.

Hector stepped forward and placed his large hand on Harry's head, making his hat fall on his eyes.

"You don't need to feel anxious about kissing Lilith in this kind of moments, son. What have I, Galatea and Sirius gifted you for Christmas?"

"Two mirrors that can be used like muggle telephones." Hector said, replying to his own question. "What should that tell you? That I also agree with you being together. You're making Lilith the happiest I've ever seen her and that is more than enough to have my support."

But then, he bent to Harry's and Lilith's eye-level and whispered:

"I'm aware that the two of you need to physically express your feelings... BUT if I ever see your hands wandering in forbidden areas...I'll cut them off."

Then, he looked at his daughter pointedly.

"i'm not saying this only for Harry. This is this for you too, Lilith. What am I saying? It's especially for you!"

"DAD!" Lilith yelled in embarrassment.

"What? If you are anything like your mother, then I know that it's you I have to worry about the most, not Harry. After all, it wass your mother the one that-"

His words were cut off when he let out a cry of pain. Holding one of his ears, Galatea was smiling menacingly.

"Haha, dear, I think we need to have a long talk at home."

Everyone started to laugh at his expense, even the nearby people waiting to board the train.

The train whistled again. Harry climbed on the stairs of the wagon and levitated his large trunk into the train effortlessly, eliciting cries of admiration from the bystanders. Not that he cared about that; he was concentrated on something else. Turning his head towards his new family once again, he made a decision. Jumping down from the train, he run back to them.

He grabbed Galatea by her arm and started pulling her to the side, away from the group, as he told her:

"I want to tell you something, only to you."

Although a bit confused, Galatea followed his words.

"Is there something wrong Harry?"

Harry couldn't look at her face when he spoke.

"I overheard one of your conversations this holiday. I know about your situation."

Galatea's eyes widened.

"Don't worry, Lilith doesn't know. I didn't tell her anything."

"Harry, I-" Galatea started to say but she found herself not knowing what words to use to describe what she felt.

Harry hugged her larger frame as well as he could.

"Two years!"

"What?!" Galatea asked in confusion.

"Please live for at least 2 more years!" Harry said.

He knew how ridiculous his words sounded. Just who wouldn't want to live longer if things were to go by his will?

"There is someone... I know a person that could help. No, she surely has a way. "

"It's just that I cannot reach her for the moment. I don't where she is or how to contact her. But I swear, in 2 years, I will find her!" Harry said pleadingly.

Galatea bent down and kissed his forehead. She embraced him lovingly.

"It's ok Harry. I made peace with my-"

Harry broke the hug and looked her in the eyes as he said in a tone that showed he was 100% sure of his words.

"Trust me, that person knows everything. She is older than everyone - even older than Nicholas Flamel and his wife. She has a way for certain!"

At the mention of the Flamels, Galatea was startled. Who was this person Harry knew? Were there other immortals apart from the Flamels? How did Harry even get into contact with someone like that? Countless thoughts flashed through her mind.

Looking at Harry's determined face, for the first time in a long while, seeds of hope were planted in her heart. They weren't bloomed yet - she still was afraid to let herself hope that she would live - but they were there. Deep inside, at a subconscious level she will cling from then onwards onto Harry's words. Because, in the end, no sane person wants to die.

"Please trust me!" Harry said. "Fight on for two more years!"

"For your mother, Helen. For your husband. For Lilith. For your family. And even for me... you adopted me. You're my mother."

Galatea's blue eyes filled with tears at Harry's words and she hugged him into her chest.

"Of course you're my son. But... but there is nothing I can do... there are things in life that are simply above us." she said, her voice trembling.

"Just don't give up." Harry said.

His words were spoken from the depth of his heart.

"I will devote my entire time finding her. Every bit of my days into getting in contact with her."

"But in the meantime, please, until your last moment, don't give up on your happiness. Dare to believe that this is not the end yet. Dare to hope for better days."

Harry was not aware of it, but his words contained magic. Pouring all of his sincere feelings into his words, pouring his soul into them made them become filled with power. Just like Athena had once filled the hearts of the ancient heroes with courage, just like she filled Harry's own heart with courage and power to stand against the troll a year ago - just like that, Harry's words started a fire in Galatea's heart. Once lost in an ocean of hopelessness and hidden despair, her heart began now to breathe. Her once defeated will, rebelled against her fate and, for the first time since she got ill, Galatea dared to hope, like Harry said, for better days.

* * *

AN: what do you think about this chapter? Eagerly waiting for your reviews, as always.

 _(No beta and English is not my native language. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)_

P.S. - the day of Athena's revival is not that far in the future. Stay tuned


	49. Chapter 49 - Looming danger

AN: This story has just reached 2000 followers! When I first started writing fanfiction, I had been tired of all the fics out there that seemed like they were all the same: Harry being abused or Harry becoming a lord, a politician and "gettin' all the bitches". Not pointing towards any story and not questioning anyone's tastes. People are different so their tastes are different as well. It's just that this was my motivation to start writing: wanting something different. The point is, though, that I have never thought that any of my stories will ever become this popular! I'm honest here. Thank you all who have stood by me and silently supported me along the line even when the story didn't seem like it was going in a good direction. Thank you again!

Ok, I'll end my long ass author's note now and let you read the new chapter. Enjoy! :)

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 49 - Looming danger**

"Harry, my boy, is there something wrong?" came the voice of Albus Dumbledore from behind the door of the Transfiguration professor's office.

"Um, I have to ask for a favour from you...please, train me."

"Do not worry. Just like in the previous semester, we will continue our weekly private lessons."

Harry shook his head.

"I'm not talking about that kind of training. Teach me how to fight. Teach me how to duel."

Dumbledore looked at the boy in front of him intently, his piercing blue eyes trying to gauge the intention behind his request. Of course, because of the Vow, Dumbledore could not refuse any of Harry's requests, but he really needed to know the motivation that drove Harry to seek him out like that.

Harry was in no mood for playing word games or start a battle of wits with a man ten times more experienced than him in this regard. Therefore, he didn't hide his motivation.

"I've never won a confrontation against a wizard by playing fair before. Every time I clashed against someone, I won because of me having gotten the jump on said person and them not knowing of my abilities."

"Take you for example." Harry said and Dumbledore averted his eyes uncomfortably "If you were to be on guard, you could easily deal with even 10 of me at the same time. But a few months ago, you had not expected me to attack you. I had the element of surprise and I was relentless in my attack, not giving you a chance to retaliate."

Dumbledore scratched his temple. Harry Potter really was a think-skinned to just throw it into his face that he had beaten him while he was asking for a favour.

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that until now I have only won by ambushing. I do not know how to duel. I would probably lose in a square and fair duel against a 5th or a 6th year student."

Dumbledore inwardly sighed.

 _'The difference between a prodigy and common people. While others can only hope that they will stand out among their peers, he is worried about not having the certitude of winning against someone 4 years older...'_

But Dumbledore had nothing against the idea of teaching Harry how to duel. That's because he was enormously pleased with the direction in which Harry Potter's character was developing.

Harry got a girlfriend, he made up with his god-father and lastly, he accepted being adopted into the Argyris family - Dumbledore was aware of all these things as he had kept his eyes and ears constantly open to any kinds of news regarding Harry. In comparison, Voldemort had had a solitary life, surrounding himself with slaves, not friends nor family. Dumbledore was happy that Harry's character was heading in the opposite direction to that of Voldemort.

"Alright then. When would you like us to start?"

An eager Harry replied:

"Now!"

"Right now?!" Dumbledore asked slightly scandalized.

The reason for that was it was the very first day of the new semester - the welcoming feast ended just 30 minutes ago.

Dumbledore would have liked to postpone it but the eager look on Harry face told him that the boy would not take "No" for an answer.

 _Scene break_

 _"Are you ok, Harry? You don't look very well. I feel like with passing of each week, your appearance is worsening more and more."_

Harry gazed at the mirror in his hand and smirked at the worried expression on Lilith's face.

"Should I be worried of you leaving me for another, more handsome guy? What was his name, Akihiko? ...wait, or was it Akihiko- _kun_?" Harry asked teasingly, putting the accent on "-kun" in an insinuating manner

 _"You're such a dumbass!"_ Lilith jeered but then both her and Harry burst into laughter.

 _"You know I'd never even look at someone else. You're everything I want in a boy."_ Lilith said sincerely. But she smirked teasingly when she said: _"Of course, some more muscle wouldn't hurt, but...you can't have it all in life, can you?"_

Harry blushed at her words from both happiness at the first part and embarrassment at the last. He was actually taking to heart Lilith's joke about him being a too scrawny. He would have liked to start exercising but his schedule didn't allow him that. Furthermore, he had other priorities - bringing Athena back, priority whose urgency only increased after hearing of Galatea's perilous condition.

 _"But I'm serious, Harry, please, get some rest!"_ Lilith pleaded.

"I am sleeping every night, I told you before."

 _"I don't believe you! What's with the dark bags under your eyes? You don't get like that by sleeping properly!"_

"It's just that I'm stressed..." Harry trailed off.

 _"You told me that before, but you never wanted to tell me the reason. I do know though that it is somehow related to Ancient Runes."_

"What makes you say that?" Harry asked slightly surprised.

 _"Really now? Look at what your bed is filled with. And it's always been like that."_

True to Lilith's observation, on Harry's bed were sprawled around 6 volumes related to Ancient Runes and many pieces of paper containing notes that he had written down.

Harry watched in the mirror how Lilith bit her lower lip worriedly.

 _"I wish I could help you somehow but you won't even tell me what is that is bothering you. Ughh, you're so annoying sometimes with your secrets!"_

Harry just kept his silence for a while, letting Lilith vent out her frustration. He knew that she was acting like that our of worry for him, because she truly cared about his well-being.

 _"Anyway, how is your duelling training with Dumbledore?"_

Harry's smile deflated.

"He says that I'm improving very fast but I hardly see any difference since 2 months ago when we started. Just today he kicked my ass in less than 20 seconds...I really am pitiful compared to him. And not just him, I can't beat even Sirius..."

 _"You're giving Sirius too little credit, Harry."_ Lilith said _"remember who is he? He's the one that single-handedly killed 3 of the most powerful followers of Voldemort, at the same time. Bellatrix Lestrange is so infamous that we even learn of her in the classes of History of Magic."_

"History of Magic you say?! What does she have anything to do with it?"

" _In case you didn't know, Bellatrix Lestrange was a key figure in the last civil war of the magical Great Britain. When we talked about the contemporary conflicts around the world, besides the vampire hunts in Romania, the current, ongoing civil war in Uganda and a few others, the English Blood War was one of the subjects included in curriculum. You didn't study about it?" (1)_

Harry looked at her in amazement.

"Our new professor of History this year is very cool, but we only ever study about the Goblin rebellions and the Centaurs' acts of terrorism a few hundred years ago. Sometimes we talk about famous wizards and witches but even that, he does it at his own risk as the Ministry is very strict in regards to the curriculum."

" _Wow... I thought it was the ghost professor that didn't do his job properly when I studied at Hogwarts, not that England was so backward!"_

Harry sighed and chose not to comment. Instead, he changed the subject.

"Anyway, how are things at you? Are you ready for your match tomorrow?"

Lilith's face was lighted up by a brilliant smile.

 _"You bet! I'm going to be the star of the game!"_

"Um, just in case you didn't know, Quidditch is about playing as a team."

 _"Not when you are a seeker."_ Lilith retorted and showed him her tongue. _"Unlike you Mr. Chaser, I could win a match all by myself."_

The two continued to chat happily for a while, enjoying their light hearted banter. At some point though, Lilith yawned.

 _"I'm sorry, Harry, but I think I should get some sleep... I have a match tomorrow and today the training was very hard too."_

Harry glanced at his wristwatch.

"It's 11:30 am here, that means that it's 8:30 pm at you. Are you going to sleep so early?"

Lilith sighed.

 _"I have to because tomorrow will be very hectic. After the match I'm supposed to do my homework for the next day but let's be honest, I'll not be in the mood for that after playing Quidditch. Since it's like this, the only option is for me to wake up very early in the morning and finish my homework before breakfast."_

"Ok then..." Harry said reluctantly. Every time the two chatted, they both had problems with ending the conversation.

"Sometimes I feel like it would've been easier for us without these mirrors." Harry murmured.

"What makes you say that?"

"Ugh...I miss you so much." Harry admitted "And every time I see your face and spend time talking to you, when it ends, I start missing you even more..."

 _"I miss you too, Harry."_ Lilith said, her beautiful blue eyes now misted by unshed tears.

"Oy, don't cry now!" Harry said feeling uncomfortable at the thought of making her cry. He didn't understand why she always got emotional that fast.

 _"I'm not crying, idiot!"_

"Oh then what's with that liquid streaming down your cheeks? Could it be that albino people's eyes are lactating?"

Lilith burst into laughter.

 _"That joke was awfully lame."_

"Yet you laughed at it."

 _"Hmpf! I did it just so you wouldn't feel bad."_

"Sure you did, weirdo."

 _"Hey!"_

"What? Show me what normal people laugh and cry at the same time."

 _"As if a barbarian like you could ever understand the feelings of a fragile being like me!"_ she said in a dramatic fashion.

"Well, the barbarian still cares about the beautiful princess."

Lilith's cheeks coloured at Harry's veiled confession.

 _"You really do?"_

Hearing her question and seeing her reaction, Harry's face heated up as well, realizing what he had just said. Even so, as a man, he wouldn't chicken out now.

"O-Of course! Anyway, were you not tired? Go to sleep!" Harry said, his voice more raised than normally.

 _"I'm not feeling sleepy anymore."_ Lilith shook her head and giggled.

"Why you!"

 _"I'm kidding. As fun as it may be to tease you, I really need to get some rest. Bye Harry. Miss you!"_

"Bye Lilith. Take care of yourself, ok?"

 _"Of course. I'm a big girl."_

"Sure you are. Goodnight!"

Tapping the mirror with the tip of his wand, Harry cut off the connection. His first intention was to continue his study, but his empty stomach forced him to head to the Great Hall. It was lunchtime after all.

 _Scene break_

 _'Look at them laughing. She never laughs at your jokes.'_

Draco gnashed his teeth at the insinuating tone of the voice that was whispering to him:

 _'You hate him, don't you? I know you hate him.'_

 _'You want to make him suffer.'_

 _'And her too. You want to punish her for betraying you..'_

"We can't do anything, Tom. Right now Hogwarts is the only place where I can live. I can't afford risking to get expelled." Draco whispered through gritted teeth.

 _'You won't risk anything...let me help you. Let me in control.'_

"I-I don't know if-"

 _'Are we not friends, Draco? Let me help you.'_ Tom said, his poisonous voice more convincing for Draco's ears with every moment that passed while he watched how Daphne and Astoria were laughing together with Harry, Dan and Gwen.

Draco's inner conversation was interrupted when he heard the voice of the one person he hated the most:

"What are you glaring at me like that for, creep?"

It was Harry Potter. He had been eating lunch together with Dan, Gwen and the Greengrass sisters but Draco's malicious staring for more than a quarter of an hour finally made Harry lose it.

Seeing the blonde boy seemingly ignoring him and continuing to glare into their direction he furrowed his brows.

When Harry sat up from the table, Draco's face paled and he lost his courage. Harry only advanced a few steps when Draco left the table and almost broke into a run on his way out of the Great Hall.

"You should have just ignored him, Harry." Dan said.

"He's been staring at me for like 15 minutes! Can I not even eat in peace now? Just wait and see. He must have forgotten how many days he stood in the Hospital Wing last time." Harry said menacingly.

Daphne looked at him secretly scared. It was now the beginning of March which meant that she had been friends with Harry for 4 months already. However, in this period of time, Harry's aggressive behaviour had mellowed down so much that Daphne forgot that she had once been terrified by him. Because of how nicely Harry treated her little sister, Astoria, and how amicably he interacted with her, Dan and Gwen, Daphne forgot how violent Harry Potter used to be.

Apparently oblivious to Harry's anger at Draco, Astoria continued her chat with Harry as if nothing happened. In no time, Harry began to smile again. Astoria's innocence had that effect on him.

 _Scene break_

 _'So pathetic.'_

 _'So cowardly.'_

 _'What are you going to do? Run away every time he just looks into your direction?'_

"What would you have me do?" Draco shouted back enraged. "What can I do against a monster like him?"

Untethered by his rage, the voice continued to whisper:

 _'I can give you power. Power beyond what you could ever imagine.'_

 _'Just trust me. Let everything in my hands.'_

 _'Let me take control.'_

 _Scene break_

 _'What about overlapping two magic circles? One for the process of severing the soul and the other for the process of storing it?'_

But then he shook his head. It was impossible. Normally, all of those would be done in only one ritual, not two.

After months of studying assiduously Ancient Runes and the ritual of creating a Horcrux, Harry had finally managed to understand all the runes utilized in the magic circle and their role. But to modify them? That was another story altogether. That's because he didn't know how would some specific runes interact with others when placed in proximity. Sure, for the runes standing for natural elements it was easy to deduce how would they interact. But how would the rune standing for "sky" would interact with the rune standing for "man"? This was just an example. A magical circle had to be perfect. One simple mishap and he could very well end up dead himself.

 _§Where are you?§_

Harry jumped from his desk abruptly, his red wand pointed in front of him.

"Who's there?" he shouted. It was 2 am. It wasn't normal for anyone to be awake at that hour, let alone come into his room.

Since the start of the year, nobody except for Dan and Gwen have dared to step inside. Despite that, the paranoia Harry developed when he used to be a street rat made him never let his guard down. After all, he was clearly aware of the fact that 90% of his housemates hated him. Every time before he went to bed, he would cast an Amplifying Charm on both the door and the floor of the room. That way, it would be impossible for anyone to enter without waking him up as the noise would be enough to wake up the entire dorm, not just him.

Harry stood in tense silence for a long while. However, nothing happened.

Tiredly, Harry rubbed his forehead. His head was beginning to throb from the intense concentration he employed in the last 4 hours. He decided to call it a day. To distract himself from negative thoughts, his mind went to his girlfriend, Lilith. It always brightened his mood. He closed his eyes, replaying in his mind the scene in the Eve of the Christmas when Lilith fell asleep in his lap. He relished in the memory of how beautiful her sleeping face had been and how silky her silvery-white hair had felt to touch.

 _§I will devour you.§_

Harry felt the blood rushing to his head. Tightly clenching his fingers on his wand, the runes carved into its handle began to glow.

"Lumos Dio!" Harry shouted and a blinding light illuminated the entire room.

He was already frustrated by not finding a solution to his problems after months of assiduous research and his constant tiredness for the past months only made his temper worse. Now that there seemed to be someone playing pranks on him, he exploded.

"Where are you, motherfucker?" He screamed truly incensed.

He couldn't find anybody. But with his anger still boiling, he wasn't going to let the matter rest.

Getting down from the bed, he slammed the door of his room open and stomped his way into the Common Room.

Pointing the tip of his wand under his own chin he casted:

"Sonorus!"

Under the effect of the Amplifying Charm, he began then to scream profanities, waking everyone in the house, with most of them panicking. They didn't even know the reason for his anger.

Had Harry paid more attention to his surroundings, he would have noticed in the window towards the Black Lake a very long and thick silhouette slowly swimming away, blending with the darkness of the lake.

 _Scene break_

"What did you do last night, Tom?" Draco asked fearfully when he saw how murderous Harry looked the next morning at breakfast. The entire Slytherin table was oddly silent as everyone felt the tension - they still had not forgotten what Harry did to Corban Yaxley at the beginning of the year.

A low chuckle was heard from the voice.

 _'Do not worry. As long as you have me, Harry Potter won't be able to do you any harm.'_

 _'I do have to admit, though, the boy has one admirable trait.'_ Tom said and Draco's blue eyes flashed with a red colour as Tom looked through his eyes at Harry. _'He knows how to strike fear. He knows how to use it in his favour. And he is a natural at that.'_

Draco grit his teeth.

"I do not need to hear even you praising him."

"And when are we going to deal with him? You promised me!" Draco demanded.

 _'Don't worry. I'll give you what I promised...'_ Tom said slowly _'...and even more.'_ he added as an afterthought. His voice reeked with a malicious intent but Draco was too absorbed into imagining how he was going to finally get revenge at Harry to notice that.

 _Scene break_

"Don't be a stranger Harry." Irene said with a half-pout while he was preparing to leave.

He had been to Irene's office in order to seek for her help in regards to two of the Charms from Dumbledore's list of spells.

"We see each other in class every week." Harry remarked.

"That doesn't count! In class I am a teacher and you are a student. I want to spend time with you as your big sister, not as your teacher."

It was odd of Irene to demand something from someone but she really wanted to spend more time with Harry. When he was adopted, the feeling of attachment she felt towards him increased tenfold from what she felt when he saved her from those thugs in Tokyo. She had always wanted a sibling on whom she could dote on. And although she became close with Lilith over the holidays, Irene was in Japan. Meanwhile, Harry lived in the same castle as her.

Harry smiled in understanding.

"Ok, I promise to come by at least once a week."

He was about to leave when Irene's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Are you leaving without even hugging your big sister? How cold of you..."

Harry felt himself flush a bit.

 _'Since when did she become like that?'_ He asked himself in confusion.

But seeing the expectant look on her face, Harry couldn't bring himself to refuse her. He may be seen as Voldemort Jr. by the students of the school, but they had no idea how weak Harry was when it came to his family or friends asking something of him.

He went back to Irene and hugged the older girl's midsection.

Irene sighed in content and ruffled the back of his hair affectionately.

"Ok, you can go now, I had my Harry-dose for this week."

"What the hell?!"

Irene began to giggle at his expression.

"You can leave if you want. Or perhaps you want to give me another hug?"

"Sheesh, I'm leaving!" Harry said and mumbled as he turned his back: "Weirdo!"

"Hey, I heard that!"

On his way to his dorm, Harry took his time to enjoy the atmosphere Hogwarts' empty halls inspired. Irene's earlier reaction made him realize that he had been so absorbed in obsession with bringing Athena back that he had hardly Paid any attention to anything else. Exploring the castle for a break was a nice change of pace.

It was a sunny day of March and the biggest part of the students were outside, enjoying one of the first days of spring after the cold winter. The castle was empty, fact which, in Harry's opinion, made the experience of walking through its grandiose halls a more rewarding experience. There were no obnoxious brats laughing boisterously and there was nobody passing be him while glaring at him in a mixture of fear and hate. Being alone in the majestic castle was... truly nice.

On his way to the Slytherin Dungeon, he stopped by a bathroom. After finishing with his business, he went to the sink to wash his hands. When Harry looked into the mirror, however, he froze.

Scaly black skin...2 large and sinister yellow eyes...

A silhouette of immense proportions was looming over him.

* * *

AN:

(1) The ongoing civil war in Uganda. Please remember this titbit as it will be very important in the story in the future. After all, Uagadou, the largest Wizarding school in the world is located in this country. And, a small spoiler, Uagadou will participate in the Goblet of Fire (whose action will start very soon).

As usual, I'm eagerly waiting for your reviews and private messages. Don't kill me for the cliff haha

(No beta and English is not my native language. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)


	50. Chapter 50 - Discovery

AN:

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ – thoughts

 _§Hello§ –_ Parseltongue

* * *

 _Previous chapter_

 _On his way to the Slytherin Dungeon, he stopped by a bathroom. After finishing with his business, he went to the sink to wash his hands. When Harry looked into the mirror, however, he froze._

 _Scaly black skin...2 large and sinister yellow eyes..._

 _A silhouette of immense proportions was looming over him._

* * *

 **Chapter 50 - Discovery**

When he found out that he was a Parselmouth, Harry researched what would this ability help him with and everything related to it. He learned that his spells could be strengthened by saying the incantation in Parseltongue but the field where it could shine the most would be that of magic medicine - Indian Wizards were said to be the most formidable Medi-Wizards and Medi-Witches in the world. That was in no small manner related to many of them having the gift of speaking the snake's tongue.

But besides its appealing aspect, the ability of talking and understanding the snakes' tongue was in many countries associated with the Dark Arts and Dark wizards/witches, that being especially the case in Europe. This trend had been started, not coincidentally, by one of the worst Dark Lords in the written history, the very Dark Lord that had also created the first Horcrux - Herpo the Foul.

That being said, one thing led to another and eventually, Harry also got to learn about the King of Serpents - the Basilisk. Therefore, he knew that aside from its skin being on the same level as that of Dragon when it comes to its resistance against magic, the Basilisk's venom was said to be impossible to cure and the worst characteristic of them all - a Basilisk's mere sight was fatal to anyone. Therefore, when the 2 yellow eyes appeared in the reflection of the mirror, Harry thought to himself in horror:

 _'I am going to die here...'_

However...seconds passed and the death he was awaiting in terror, was not coming. Moreover, the gigantic snake appeared to have been frozen just a mere few feet away from his body. Harry could even feel the cold air breathed out from the Basilisk's nose on the back of his head.

He came to his senses.

 _'How am I still alive?'_ Harry asked himself in disbelief, but he was still frozen in the same position, his entire body flooded by an intense feeling of fear. Facing the troll head-on and witnessing Marcus Flint being devoured by the gigantic Cerberus were severely outclassed by his current situation. He had never felt as much fear as in the current moment, when the gigantic King of Serpents was looming over him.

 _§How are you still alive?§_ the Basilisk's ear deafening hiss came, unknowingly asking Harry the very same thing he was wondering about himself.

The Basilisk lowered its enormous head until he was just a few inches away from Harry.

 _'This is it...'_ Harry sighed.

Through some miracle he had not died on spot after gazing into the Basilisk's eyes but he had no way to stop the gigantic snake from eating him alive. He closed his eyes and waited for death to claim him - there was nothing he could possibly do against a being of such proportions, against a being that was nearly immune to magic. At the very least, there was nothing he could do in the current situation, when the King of Snakes was less than 1 foot away from him.

Suddenly, a wet appendage ran over his back, submerging his entire body in a gross and sticky substance - the Basilisk had ran its large, bifurcated tongue over his body. Had he not been in such a mortal danger, Harry would have bent down, vomiting from how disgusting the feeling and the stink of the snake's saliva felt being smeared over his entire body.

 _§Your smell is weird...§_ the snake hissed, the sound of its hissing nearly making Harry lose his eardrums due to their close proximity.

 _§You are not human...turn around and face me!§_ the snake said and despite the situation he was in, Harry could notice the overflowing intrigue the creature felt. And although his body was paralyzed by fear, he didn't dare disobey the Basilisk's request.

So overwhelmed he was, that he had not noticed until then the burning hot temperature of the Gorgoenion on the skin of his chest. However, when his body turned around to face the King of Serpents, the top covering his chest burst into pieces as the eyes of the woman carved on the stone pendant glowed red.

 _§W-Who are you?§_ the Basilisk asked, this time Harry detecting in its voice...fear!

The Gorgoneion levitated from Harry's neck, positioning itself between him and the creature.

In that moment, the King of Serpents distanced itself from Harry and its entire body lowered until it laid flat on the floor. A grey membrane of scales covered its large yellow eyes and the creatures hissed softly, a great contrast from its previously deafening and domineering voice.

 _§This lowly one greets you...my Master!§_

 _Scene break_

It was the middle of March. Two weeks passed since Harry's mortal encounter with the Basilisk.

It was night. Everyone in the Slytherin Dungeons was sleeping deeply at that hour, everyone except for one person. A Silencing Charm had been casted on the soles of his feet and a skilful Disillusionment Charm had rendered his entire body merely a blur that was invisible in the darkness of the small corridor connecting the rooms of the boys' dorm.

The silhouette advanced towards a door and, in a whisper, he casted a Silencing Charm on it. One Unlocking Charm later, the door was opened soundlessly.

Noises of loud snoring reverberated in the silence of the room from the 2 students inhabiting the room. They were sleeping. However, the silhouette didn't dare to enter the room - only the tip of his red wand passed through the crack of the door into the room as he casted:

"Verdimillious!"

Like the slow waves of a still lake, a green, glowing light was released from the tip of the wand, basking the entire room in its soft glow.

A few moments later, 3 objects in the room started to glow in a red light: it was a key, a flask of potion and a notebook. However, the object bearing the shape of what looked like an ordinary notebook, far outclassed the other two in brightness, its crimson red colour nearly blinding the caster of the spell for a second.

A small gasp came from the silhouette that had sneaked into the room and, a moment later, the spell was cancelled, the room returning to its previous darkness.

 _Scene break_

Harry Potter laid on the floor, with his back on the door of his room, breathing laboriously. His forehead was full of sweat, and the complexion of his face as pale as a sheet but his green and silver-grey eyes were glowing in excitement.

"That was definitely a Horcrux! There is no other explanation!" he muttered to himself as he went again in his mind over the clauses that led him to this conclusion.

When the Basilisk lowered itself flat on the floor as if it was trying to prostrate in front of him a week ago and called him its master, suffice to say that the shock Harry felt could not be described in words. However, the incident from nearly 2 years before when the snakes inside the Magical Menagerie in the Diagon Alley called him "mistress" made him recollect himself. The fact that the Gorgoneion was floating in front of the Basilisk with the woman's eyes glowing red, made Harry understand the reason behind the Basilisk behaviour: Athena. She was not only the Goddess of Heroes, War and Crafts, but also a Goddess of Snakes. There was no way for him, who unknowingly received a part of Athena's divinity to be endangered by snake.

Back then, in the spur of the moment, he had been so excited that he even forgot of the gigantic snake that was just a few feet away from him and he recklessly focused his consciousness into the Inner World of the Gorgoneion. But...to his devastating disappointment his expectations were broken apart. Athena was nowhere to be seen. He had thought that she was alive and that she was the one that made the Basilisk submit to him in that fashion...

Even so, the fact that the Gorgoneion acted by itself to defend him, made Harry sure of one thing: Athena may have disappeared but she was not truly gone. Even in her apparent death, her will to protect him still existed...there still was a chance to bring her back. His crushed expectations from a few moments before were now renewed and his heart was filled with hope and a strengthened resolve.

In the days following that incident, Harry gathered his courage to speak with the enormous snake. To his relief, the Basilisk was as subservient as before. In fact, if his senses were not fooling him, Harry could even sense a feeling a gratitude coming from the creature after he allowed the gigantic snake to enter the Gorgoneion's Innner World. But he didn't insist on the matter, not wanting to focus on what could be mere delusions. In exchange, he focused on other pressing matters: who was the one that sent the Basilisk after him? Who could actually control such a being? Where was the Basilisk coming from and how could such an enormous magical creature sneak into Hogwarts completely undetected? There were questions that Harry was dying to hear the answer for.

Snakes cannot discern colours. Even so, Harry understood from the details given by the Basilisk that Draco was the one most likely to have done it. Sure, Harry had been amazed to learn that the legends concerning the Chamber of Secrets were true, but his focus was unquestionably on other things.

"How did Draco do it? How could someone like him be capable of controlling a Basilisk?"

From the Basilisk, Harry understood that, unlike ordinary snakes, the Basilisks would not submit to any Parselmouth's whims. While Parselmouths can order around snakes, Basilisks could not be forced to obey them. Parseltongue was just a tool to converse with the Kings of Serpents - it could not subdue them. There had to be a certain affinity between the wizard and the Basilisk, for the Basilisk to obey his order - in this case, even if Draco were to be a Parselmouth (which he was not), he would still not be able to control this Basilisk unless he was Salazar Slytherin's descendant.

The fact that Draco seemed to be unaware of the fact that the Basilisk failed in killing Harry also did not make sense for Harry - and he doubted that anyone could be that good at acting. Therefore, the only conclusion Harry could reach was:

"He doesn't remember... no, I think he is not even aware of what had transpired."

This line of thought made him see the figurative end of the tunnel: it was situation similar to what Harry himself had experienced during the 2 times when Athena possessed his body and took control of him - he had had no memories of it. After those incidents, Athena shared those memories with him, but the important fact was that he had no personal memories of those times. And that made him reach his final conclusion - Draco was being possessed.

Harry had not believed even for a moment that there might actually be a god or a goddess in Draco as well. What were the chances for that? The mere idea was ridiculous to him. Had there been a deity lying dormant in Draco, that entity would have prevented Draco from being trashed and humiliated by Harry for so many times before.

No, in Harry's mind, there was only one possibility:

"A Hrocrux is somehow involved in this matter."

For the past half a year Harry had studied the art of creating a Horcrux, every single day. He knew the ritual for creating one like the back of his own palm. Harry knew everything that could be known about Horcruxes...in theory. In comparison to a genuine Dark Lord, what Harry was lacking in regards to his knowledge concerning Horcruxrs was...practical experience.

It was reaching said conclusion that led to his previous actions: Disillusioned and with a Silencing Charm on his feet, he had sneaked into Draco's room in order to see for himself if his hypothesis was true. And after casting the Verdimillious Charm, Harry was 90% sure that his hypothesis was true: there were 3 dark objects in Draco and his mate's room yet one of those glowed so much stronger than the other two... No ordinary dark artefact would cause such reaction from the spell. It had to be a Horcrux!

 _Scene Break_

 _'Where is the Basilisk? How is that boy still alive?'_

These were the main thoughts on Tom Riddle's mind ever since he saw that Harry was perfectly fine after the day when he ordered the Basilisk to kill him. A week passed since that day and Tom Riddle still had no news from the gigantic snake.

 _'Did he perhaps kill it?'_

But Tom Riddle pushed that thought away. It was close to impossible for Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk to be killed by just one wizard, and a young teenager at that Probably someone like Dumbledore could do it but other people? No. Tom Riddle knew that the only glaring weakness that Basilisks generally had was a rooster's cry. But that could not affect Slytherin's "pet". Besides its nearly ancient age - the serpent was over 1000 years old - Salazar Slytherin had ensured that his companion would not be easy to dispose of given the purpose he had had in mind when he placed the Basilisk in the school.

 _'Don't tell me... did he find a way to control it?'_

 _'Or..is he somehow related to Salazar Slytherin himself? Draco said his mother was a mudblood but there is a possibility of her being the descendant of a Non that had mingled with Muggles.'_

 _'Interesting.. how interesting..'_

An obsession was born into Riddle's mind:

 _'What if I were to resurrect take control of Harry Potter's body? He is much better than this Draco. No...he is another league altogether.'_

 _'That talent, that intelligence, that resourcefulness and that ruthlessness...he is not any worse than me...'_

Tom Riddle did not care one bit about Draco's thoughts of revenge. When he was alive, people like Draco Malfoy were no different than ants in his eyes. Draco was just a means to an end. A tool for him to use and exploit until he reached his goal.

But as he thought of this, Tom Riddle frowned in confusion. He understood the main events that happened with the passage of time from what Draco told him. He knew that his future self became a terrifying Dark Lord but that he was ultimately destroyed. However, in regards to Voldemort's life, Tom Riddle only had the memories of his 16 year old self. The teenager Tom Riddle didn't know whether his future self created other Horcruxes aside from him or not.

 _'Even so, this doesn't explain why is it so hard for me to get the complete control over someone like Draco.'_

Little did the teenager Tom Riddle know that while he had been struggling to devour Draco's consciousness and effectively take control of his body, at the same time, Voldemort's spirit was having a very hard time taking complete control over Quirrell's body, even despite the latter's absolute obedience.

One soul cannot inhabit 2 living bodies at the same time - that was a natural rule that not even the darkest magic and rituals in existence had been able to overwrite. Because of that, the two pieces of Voldemort's soul were, unknowingly, in a race against each other, fighting for the right to be reincarnated.

 _Scene Break_

"The biggest problem I was facing before was how to create a Horcrux by not severing my own soul but another's. I don't have a solution for this even after half an year of continuous research." Harry muttered to himself. However, his eyes were shining with anticipation.

"But this changes everything!"

He was referring to his recent discovery: the existence of a Horcrux that was possessing Draco.

Harry could not help but think about the saying about life being full of ups and downs. It was indeed true, even more than so when he looked back at his own life. He was born in a family of noble wizards - a rather lucky event for him. But then, his parents were killed and he was raised in an orphanage. He discovered that he had "superpowers" - another fortunate event - but then, he was forced by the circumstances to live as a homeless and eat from the trash bins in order to survive. But after that, Harry got a family, he got to know Athena and he got a girl with whom he was in love. However, all these blessing were also interwoven with misfortunes - killing Marcus Flint by accident, being chased by Dumbledore, Athena's apparent death and his loss of memory. But then again, after the latest unfortunate event, Lady Luck seemed to finally smile at him again.

Having a Horcrux at hand made everything simple for Harry. He just had to sever the piece of soul's connection with its vessel and throw it in the Gorgoneion. Not that such a thing was actually simple but to Harry it seemed so because he no longer had to worry about needing to kill someone. He no longer had the worry about living with a dirty conscious and with his hands stained with blood.

The only problem Harry was facing now, was getting his hands on the Horcrux.

Harry clenched his fingers into fists in determination. He was not going to wait for even a day longer.

Gathering all of his notes and books focused on researching the Horcruxes, he made them levitate in mid-air, in his room.

He pointed his red wand towards the floating papers and books and said:

"Incendio!"

He could have used the Vanishing Charm instead. It would have been a cleaner and faster way to dispose of everything. But he didn't quite understand the mechanics behind that charm. Where did all the Vanished objects go? In his mind, he thought that they couldn't just disappear. The most logical answer for Harry was that they were probably teleported somewhere far away. With that thought in mind, he found it very irresponsible to get rid of unwanted – dangerous – things in that fashion. Therefore, he opted on using the Fire-Making Charm. The House-Elves would have more work to do by getting rid of the smoke and the ashes left but that wasn't really something he was being concerned with.

Finished with the act, he cleared the smoke in the room to the best of his ability with a mild Ventus Charm, leaving the rest for the House Elves to handle. He had other, more important, things to do. Like stealing a Horcrux.

 _Scene break_

It was very late, past the middle of the night. Everyone was asleep in the Slytherin Dungeon. At the very least, the Slytherin Common Room was empty. Once again, there was one exception - Harry Potter. He was sitting on one of the dark green leather coaches, watching the window that proved that the dungeon was submerged in the depths of the Black Lake. Although it was night, the silhouettes of various creatures could be seen swimming from time to time due to the light that protruded from the Common Room in the water through the window.

Harry Potter was sitting in silence, waiting.

 _'Where is that little shit?'_ Harry thought in annoyance.

After everyone had fallen asleep, Harry took the chance to sneak into Draco's room again. However, only Nott was there. Moreover, after casting the Verdimilious Charm again, he noticed that the notebook like object that he believed it was a Horcrux was not in the room either.

With his mood deflated, he went back into the Common Room, deciding to wait for Draco there. And now, more than half an hour passed since that moment.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a door opening.

"What are you doing awake at this hour, Astoria?"

The girl was still dressed up in day clothes and a worried expression marred her face.

"Daphne... I can't find her anywhere!" the girl said, her voice trembling. She looked like was barely holding her tears in.

Looking at her pitiful appearance, Harry's heart lurched. Astoria was small and her otherwise pretty appearance gave off a feeling of being sickly. That, coupled with her being on the verge of tears would move the heart of anyone, let alone Harry who actually grew to care quite a bit for her.

"Hey, is that a reason to cry? Maybe she sneaked out to get some food from the kitchen-"

"It's been hours since I last saw her, she would have returned long ago!" Astoria said as her fingers clenched on the ends of her blouse.

She was clearly very worried about her sister. Very few students dared to adventure at night through the corridors of the castle ever since the Minister of Magic replaced Filch and his cat with teams of Aurors when it came to patrolling the premises of the school. Not many had the courage to defy someone like Mr. Willbury, the short but stern head of the Aurors stationed at Hogwarts. That being said, the probability of Daphne sneaking out just for some food was too low to be plausible.

"Maybe she is with some prince charming in a secret cupboard, doing-"

"Daffy is not like that!" Astoria shouted before she could stop herself, her face colouring just at the thought of her sister doing such nasty things with a boy. She was only 11 years old, for her, this kind of actions were still seen as disgusting.

Harry chuckled at her reaction, especially when he saw her frowning at him, the beginning of a pout forming on her face, without her even being aware of her facial expression.

"So cute!" Harry said and he patted Astoria's head, ruffling her soft brown hair in the process.

Astoria lowered her head, nearly losing herself to embarrassment, but the thought of her sister's unknown whereabouts shook her from it.

"Harry, will you help me look for Daphne? Please!"

Harry sighed. In his opinion, Astoria was worrying for nothing.

"Are you sure she is not actually being in a detention?"

Astoria looked at him as if what he said was something really weird.

"We're talking about my sister here, right?"

Harry rubbed at his forehead. Indeed, what he said was something weird. Students like him and Hermione Granger were deemed as the best when it came to their studies seeing as they both skipped a year. Because of that, many tended to overlook other students that might have been exceptional too. Daphne was one of those students - she was certainly the best 2nd year student. Therefore, Daphne could be considered a model student. In fact, she had never had a detention nor has she ever lost points for her House. There was no way she would have a detention now; even so, she would have at least told her sister about it.

"Harry, will you help me?" Astoria pleaded.

 _'There goes my plan on capturing the Horcrux tonight.'_ Harry sighed to himself.

But then again, he had been waiting for months to find a solution to bring Athena back; what was one more day? He could afford to delay it a little. After all, although the chance was very small with the increased security in the school, Daphne could actually be in danger. Because, in the end, it was in Hogwarts, the so-called "safest place in Great Britain", that 1 boy was eaten alive by a Cerberus and 2 other students were nearly killed by a troll.

"If we get caught by Aurors and get detention, I'm seriously going to kick your ass, Tori." Harry said grumpily. But Astoria merely giggled. It looked as though half of her worries vanished just with Harry's acceptance to help her.

 _Scene Break_

A deafening metallic clatter was heard in the silence of the night and a whispered yelling swear was heard.

"Fuck my life!"

"I-I'm sorry, but how am I supposed to walk when I cannot even see my legs?" the voice of a girl retorted half embarrassed, half angry.

"Shut it, idiot, and follow me already!" a boy growled at her.

After a while, 2 blurry silhouettes could be seen in a secret corridor, panting as they were laying on the floor with their backs supported by the wall. However, one of them was breathing more harshly than the other.

"Are you ok, Tori?"

The girl didn't answer as she was having trouble breathing.

They were Harry and Astoria. Due to having had similar experiences in the past, Harry was used to walking while his body was obscured by a Disillusionment Charm and the sound of his steps erased by a Silencing Charm. But for Astoria it was her first time. Suffice to say that it proved to be more than a bit confusing for her as she was nearly invisible. While not impossible, it was quite disorienting to walk without seeing your legs or even hearing the noise of your steps. Eventually, that led to her stumbling and bumping into one of the lifeless armour suits on the fifth floor of the castle.

"I think we're not getting anywhere like this." Harry said and a thought popped up in his mind.

 _Scene break_

"Do you realize what's the time, Harry? It's 2 am already. Normal people sleep at this time."

A sleepy and grumpy Sirius said but he let his uninvited guests step into his office.

"Sorry to bother you Sirius." Harry said, feeling a bit bad when he saw just how tired Sirius looked. His filled with papers desk suggested that he had been correcting the students' tests quite late into the night.

"Ma, ma, it's fine. Since you woke me up already, tell me what you need." Sirius said and waved his hand as to dissipate his worries.

"Daphne is nowhere to be seen and Astoria here is afraid something must have happened to her. You know, the last year's incidents do nothing to make one feel safe about Hogwarts anymore."

"And you came at me why?"

Harry wanted to roll his eyes.

"Don't play dumb, I'm pretty sure you must have a way to monitor the halls of the castle. There is no other explanation for how you helped me sneak out of the school a few months ago."

"He did what?!" Astoria asked mouth agape.

"Harry, this was supposed to remain between the two of us." Sirius said as he felt the beginning of headache coming up.

Harry dressed his voice and scratched his neck uncomfortably.

"Um, Astoria is one of us. She wouldn't breathe a word about this to anyone. Right?" Harry said and looked at Astoria pointedly.

"O-Of course not!" Astoria confirmed, her stuttering letting one know how startled she was by the revelation of a teacher helping a student to break the school's rules.

Sirius went to his desk and sat on his leathery, cushioned chair. With his hands obscured by the desk, he unfurled a piece of parchment and touched it with his wand as he whispered:

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"

Harry and Astoria looked curiously over to see what he was doing but the desk stopped them from doing so. Sirius would have probably let Harry into the secret of the map this time around. However, with Astoria there as well, he couldn't afford to do so.

"Daphne Greengrass." Sirius whispered.

Harry was dying of curiosity to see what was Sirius actually doing but he had enough common sense to understand why was Sirius this secretive.

In the following moment, a frown made its way on Sirius' face.

"She...is not on the premises of Hogwarts..." Sirius said slowly. "Could she have sneaked out to go to Hogsmeade?"

"Are you sure whatever you have there is not wrong?" Harry asked.

"Don't worry. It had never malfunctioned in nearly 3 decades. Not even once." Sirius said categorically.

"Well, it seems your sister is not in Hogwarts..."

Astoria became even paler than usual and she seemed like she was about to cry. Horrific thoughts began to form in her mind. Could she not be on the premises of Hogwarts because... Astoria shook her head and refused to even think of that alternative.

Harry on the other hand, suddenly thought of something else.

"Can you tell me where is Draco Malfoy?"

He thought it would be brilliant if he could find his location without having to waste so much time and energy looking for him all over the castle.

"What business do you have with him?"

"That little bastard owes me something." Harry said vaguely.

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. He didn't really care and it was no big deal at all to just inquire the map once again.

However...

"He is not on the map either..."

 _Scene break_

A suspicion rose into Harry heart the moment he found out that neither Daphne nor Draco could be found on the school's premises.

It was no secret for anyone that Draco was obsessed with Daphne at the beginning of the school year, before Harry stepped in and took her and her little sister under his "wings". That, added to the fact that Harry knew that a Horcrux was possessing Draco, made him think of the worst possible outcome.

Parting from Sirius after a rushed good-bye and after nearly getting caught by the patrolling Aurors that had been previously alerted by the noise made the metal armour, Harry and Astoria barely managed to reach the Slytherin Dungeon ten minutes later.

"Astoria, please go into your room and wait for me to come back." Harry said hurriedly.

Astoria was a very bright girl and her intuition had already been warning her of something dangerous from even before they arrived to Sirius. Therefore, she managed to put piece with piece together.

"Did Draco do something to..." but she didn't finish her word and gulped hard.

Harry didn't beat around the bush.

"I hope it is not what I think it is, but you can't deny that the coincidence of both of then missing at the same time is a bit too glaring."

 _'Not to mention that Draco is being possessed by a Horcrux.'_ Harry added in his mind.

Not waiting for Astoria to ask more questions, Harry left the Common Room and broke into a run. To him, everything made sense in his mind but he had no way of explaining it to Astoria. If things were how he suspected them to be, Draco must have taken Daphne.

It was a bit far-fetched to think a student was kidnapped by another but it was another matter altogether when a Horcrux was in the play. Harry had prepared his mind for the worst when - he suspected that the Horcrux-controlled Draco might have kidnapped Daphne. As for their location...it could be very well, anywhere outside Hogwarts' premises. However, it would be quite hard for someone to sneak out of Hogwarts by himself, let alone carrying along an unconscious or bound person. Wouldn't the Chamber of Secrets that provided the maximum amount of security and privacy possible and that was very easy to access be an obviously better choice? Furthermore, it also got along with what Sirius said - they were not on the school's premises: from the Basilisk's words when they spoke to each other, Harry deduced that the Chamber must have been built very, very deep below the school. But even if his suspicions would not be proven to be true, Harry wanted to do what his instinct urged him to.

With those thoughts in mind, a few moments later, Harry stopped into an empty classroom and, taking a seat on one of the benches, he focused on the stone pendant around his neck. His sight darkened and he felt his consciousness being sucked into the inner world of the Gorgoneion.

 _§Snake!§_ Harry hissed, calling for the Basilisk. It felt awkward calling for it like that but he had no time to be bothered by such things. _§Where are you? I need you to lead me to the Chamber of Secrets.§_

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AN: Sorry for how long I took to update the story this time around. Insomnia is killing me and my psychological state has not been the best as of late.. I hope, though, that you enjoyed the chapter.

 **Important: The next chapter will be the final chapter of Gorgoneion - the final chapter of the this first part. However, I do have a sequel in mind. Let me know if you're interested in having more of this AU version of Harry Potter or if I should start another story. I will probably put a poll on my profile in regards to this (after I post the last chapter).**

 **But do not misunderstand: the events and the plot I had planned in mind are plenty enough to make a sequel just as large as this first part. It's not like I do not know what to write anymore. I only want to hear your opinions about the above mentioned question.**

As always, I'm eagerly waiting for your reviews and PMs. Suggestions, criticism, all are welcome as long as they are made in a civil fashion. Thank you.

 _(No beta and English is not my native language. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made.)_


	51. Chapter 51 - Dark magic

AN: the most common question some of you asked me through reviews or in pms was - Why am I not directly starting the sequel? It makes more sense - well, it's simple: this has been a quite long ride. As I have already told some of you, I'm afraid that some people might have lost interest after all this time. Because after all, this story has nearly reached 200k words...

Anyway, this is the last chapter of Gorgoneion's first part. Enjoy :)

"Hello" - normal talk

 _'Hello'_ \- thoughts

* * *

 **Chapter 51 – Dark magic**

Sounds of bones being crushed were heard as a silhouette stepped warily through a dark tunnel. In the deep darkness, 3 bright bulbs of light were levitating in mid air, having the silhouette as their centre, revolving around him. It was boy, no older than 13. His normally wild black hair was now slicked due to the amount of slime and wetness in it. He was scrawny and not too tall, looking quite pitiful in his current state. But his bright green and silver-grey eyes were shining with determination. Despite how sinister his surroundings looked - he was in a tunnel at miles beneath the ground, surrounded by darkness and stepping on animal bones - there was no fear visible on his face.

Suddenly, a different sight appeared in front of his eyes: the bone-covered floor of the tunnel was obscured by a particular thing.

"Holly crap!" Harry breathed out unconsciously.

 _'Had I come here without knowing the situation, I would have been scared shitless.'_ he thoughts to himself.

Laying on the floor were the remnants of the skin the Basilisk had recently shed. Its size alone was enough to make one's scalp turn numb.

Although he knew from the Basilisk that no other living creatures existed in the tunnel nor in the Chamber, Harry's vigilance unconsciously increased after seeing the Basilisk's old skin and his fingers clenched on his wand. The blue glow that protruded through his hand from the runes carved in the handle of the wand betrayed the fact that the wand was filled with his magical power, just on the verge of shooting a curse - that's how anxious Harry current state of mind was.

Eventually he reached the end of the tunnel. Two exquisitely carved stone snakes were entwined above the wall that looked like a dead end.

 _§Open!§_

The snakes seemed to come to life as they slithered away. The wall cracked neatly from the middle and the two halves of the wall moved aside simultaneously, like a double door.

Harry hesitated. He didn't know what was awaiting for him in the Chamber. He was not naive - the Horcrux probably belonged to a very powerful wizard of the past. At the very least, a wizard with much more experience than him. Harry understood that he could be walking into a trap.

But then, Harry's mind went back to Athena. Her smile, her kindness and her gentleness... her loving embrace - the first hug he had ever received from someone, the first time he experienced what he viewed as a mother's love. And knowing that he was the one that ultimately caused her death - it pained him to a level beyond words.

Harry's hesitation vanished. His eyes began to glow noticeably in the darkness of the tunnel. His strengthened resolve roused all the magic inside him. His skin flushed red and his temperature rose at an alarming pace as his body was stimulated to an unprecedented state.

Strangely enough, despite his body's state of extreme excitation, his mind was completely calm.

 _'Finally! After all these months, I will finally see her again.'_

 _Scene break_

"Who are you?"

The Chamber of Secrets was certainly a majestic place. Towering pillars of stone in the form of gigantic snakes were holding its roof, its floor was of marble and a large statue, as tall as the room, was located in the place opposite to the entrance. However, Harry barely registered the surrounding 'scenery'. His eyes were fixed on the blond 12 year old boy that was laying on the floor, his head resting in an unconscious girl's lap. The boy was twirling his wand between his fingers, while humming a tune, pretending to ignore the newcomer.

"Who are you?" Harry asked bluntly again, not one to mingle with words and pleasantries. "I know you are not Draco so don't bother trying to bullshit. Who are you?"

"Ah. A memory...preserved in a diary for fifty years." Riddle said softly as he raised his head from Daphne's lap and sat up on his feet.

"I didn't ask you what are you but who you are. I know what you are. A Horcrux. No need to act mysterious with me."

Tom Riddle's eyes sharpened and he was greatly startled.

"How do you know about something like this?!" he yelled in anger. Knowing one's enemy was the first step to defeat him. Harry knowing what a Horcrux was, naturally had an edge in the coming confrontation.

But as sudden as Riddle's outburst was, as quickly his visage regained its calm. A shrewd look appeared in its eyes.

"For months I've been forced to listen to this pathetic boy's petty problems. He really thought I actually cared about his unrequited feelings towards this girl here, or that his coward of a father went missing in fear of his former master's wrath..."

"But no...ever since I heard about Harry Potter, the heir of Slytherin, I've wanted to meet you...you intrigue me, Harry Potter..."

But as the possessed Draco talked, Harry ignored his words, his eyes roaming the surroundings. Eventually, his eyes fell on the object of his search. He found it: on the unconscious Daphne's chest, a small notebook with barely still white pages was laying opened.

Accomplishing his objective, Harry's attention turned fully to Tom Riddle who continued speaking through Draco's mouth.

"... Join me and-"

"How can I join someone who I don't know anything about?"

Tom Riddle stood silent for a moment

"I'm one of the most powerful wizards Great Britain has ever seen. I am," he paused "Tom Riddle."

Although he had always hated his Muggle name, Tom Riddle decided against telling Harry that he was Voldemort. As someone whose parents were killed by him, Voldemort realized that the boy would instantly refuse his offer if he knew his identity.

"Tom?" Harry asked, his voice dripping with ridicule. "For a moment there I thought you were going to say a scary name... something like Jimmy! Or Bobby."

A frightening killing intent burst from Draco's body.

"YOU DARE MOCK ME?" Tom Riddle screamed enraged.

"CRUCIO!"

But the result of his actions left Tom Riddle stupefied, in disbelief. His fist - Draco's fist - was pointed towards Harry as if he was holding a wand. Except that...there was no wand in his hand.

"Looking for this?" Harry asked. In his left hand, a 10 inches long, brown wand was hanging loosely as if he was about to drop it - it was none other than Draco's wand!

While Riddle had been talking about his dislike of Draco and his interest for Harry, Harry himself started his actions: his left hand's fingers trembled unnoticeably and a thin thread of telekinesis began to grow from them. Without Tom Riddle noticing it, the thin thread of telekinesis wrapped itself around the wand in Draco's hand.

However, he knew that he couldn't just all of a sudden pull the wand, hoping for Riddle to miss the moment due to his carelessness. He was not going to do something dumb right then, when his success was so close.

 _'I have to distract him'_

What better way to distract someone than by making him angry? Not to mention that Harry truly was talented when it came to pissing people off. He had managed to get even someone as calm and collected as Dumbledore nearly pop a blood vessel due to how angered he became.

When Riddle heard Harry's mocking words about his name, his anger skyrocketed. Because of that, in that split of a second, he completely missed the moment when the wand slipped of from his hands - in that moment, with a soft pull of his fingers, he yanked the wand from Draco's hand.

Not daring to waste time, Harry's hands clenched on Draco's wand and he abruptly snapped it from the middle. Then, Harry took his own wand and touched the Gorgoneion with it. His wand disappeared - it was stored into the inner world of the pendant. He didn't want to give any chance for Tom Riddle to somehow get a hold of his wand.

Harry was aware of the situation: someone capable of making a Horcrux was in no way a pushover. He was aware of the fact that he would not stand a chance in a wizard's duel against someone as experimented as his opponent.

 _'What about a Muggle fight then?'_ Harry thought to himself.

"Let's see what the self proclaimed 'one of the most powerful wizards Great Britain has ever seen' is capable of without a wand." Harry mocked.

His right hand made a grabbing gesture in the air before he pulled it to him. Draco's body was abruptly grabbed by a large, invisible hand and thrown straight to Harry. A move worthy of the best fighting movies occurred as Harry caught him in a chokehold, in one hand, and then, he violently slammed him into the floor. Getting on top of the possessed boy, Harry's fists rained into his face.

Was that a pure Muggle fight? Of course it wasn't. It was a one-sided beatdown. And of course Harry was not going to fight fair. It was in his character to play dirty. Using his telekinesis and his body strengthening ability, Harry didn't fear fighting even 10 grown up Muggles. The previous incident in Tokyo was proof of that.

Draco's body laid on the wet marble floor dazed. However, Draco himself had not felt anything at all. It was Tom Riddle that had felt the excruciating pain coming from his back and head when he was slammed into the floor and it was him that was feeling the pain that persisted after the series of punches Harry had thrown at him. And although at the moment there was no resistance from Draco and Riddle had complete control over the body, he couldn't do anything. Riddle was receiving such a hellish amount of pain from Draco's battered body that he couldn't even lift a finger.

Now standing a few feet away from Draco's body, Harry pointed his index finger at him and said:

"Stupefy!"

A red bolt of light shot from his finger and impacted Draco's frame. In that moment, the pages of the diary Horcrux started to flip wildly as Tom Riddle's spirit was forcefully ejected from Draco's body and thrown back into the Horcrux.

Harry knew that with Tom Riddle's spirit weakened and rendered harmless for the time being, it was safe to take his own wand out.

He felt a bit guilty what he was about to do, but he proceeded with his actions: Daphne may have been unconscious at the moment but Harry didn't want to take the chance of her waking up while he was performing the ritual and starting to ask questions. Therefore, he shot a Stunning Charm towards her as well.

Harry was not naive to not understand the gravity of his what he was planning on doing: being found dabbling with such dark magic would give him a ticket straight to Azkaban, for life. He had to take all the possible precautions to prevent something like that

"Finally!" Harry uttered. It was only one word but how full emotions that word was, only he knew.

"Flagrate!"

Flames were spewed from his wand and Harry started to skilfully manipulate their form in the air. When he managed to create a flawless, 6 feet in diameter circle from the flames, Harry brought if down and placed it on the floor.

While still keeping his focus on maintaining the flames' appearance on the floor, he also lighted up the tip his wand at the same time. Red sparks started to flicker from it and, following the pattern of the flaming circle, Harry began to carve into the marble floor the form of the circle.

Finished with his task, he dismissed the flames, only the tip of his wand remaining alight. Then, from memory, one by one, he began to carve the runes necessary to complete the magic circle. He had been practicing drawing them more than 20 times every day, for almost half a year. By now it was impossible for him to make a mistake.

Eventually, he was done carving the final rune. After proof checking his work for more than 5 times for mistakes, he breathed out in relief. One small mistake in the magic circle could lead to disastrous consequences. It could even cause his death. Harry did not dare to take it lightly.

The magic circle had the appearance of a 6 feet in diameter circle with 2 series of runes carved towards its margins and an almost empty space remaining in its centre: only 3 runes were carved in its centre. Their size was twice as big compared to the rest of the runes.

The rune located in the very middle of the circle stood for "Soul" and it was carved more deeply into the floor compared tot the other two. One the sides of the "Soul" rune were carved the other 2 runes, one standing for "Earth" and one standing for "Heaven".

In the original ritual, the wizard was supposed to kneel on top of the "Earth" rune and place the object that will become his Horcrux on top of the "Heaven" rune. However, instead of him being the one to go inside the circle, on top of the "Earth" rune, Harry was going to place Voldemort's Horcrux there.

Harry levitated the Horcrux with his telekinesis on top of the "Earth" rune. Then, taking off the Gorgoneion from around his neck, he kissed its rough surface lightly and placed it on top of the "Heaven" rune.

"And now, the last part." Harry muttered to himself nervously.

He took a silver knife from his pants' pocket. It was the very knife that Harry had used to threaten Dumbledore with suicide in order to escape from being captured. From that moment onwards Harry had always worn it on himself. And now, he was going to use it in order to finish the ritual that would bring his beloved mother back to life.

Although he was sweating heavily in anxiousness at what he was about to, the hand holding the silver knife was eerily steady. Pushing the blade of the small knife into the wrist of his left arm, a crimson liquid gushed out. His blood started to flow into the "Soul" rune.

Harry's face was becoming paler with every passing second. The prerequisite was to fill the rune entirely with his blood. But the needed amount was too much for his young body to bear. Even so, there was no way he was going to back down in that moment. He could die of blood loss in the worst case. In the least worst case he would probably be bedridden for weeks. But to chose to ignore the risks.

Eventually, when the blood was about to overflow from the rune, Harry whispered:

"Episkey."

The slash on his wrist closed up. Even so, Harry complexion did not look any better. Waves of dizziness made Harry feel as though he was standing on a boat in the middle of the raging see. Nevertheless, the expectant look on his face could not be doused by anything.

Harry clenched his wand tightly. Raising both of his arms in the air, he started to chant in a weird and obscure-sounding language.

It was Egyptian. Not the Arab language Egyptian people speak nowadays. It was the language Egyptians used to speak in Ancient Times, thousands of years before the current era.

The chant was not overly long. Only 50 or so words. But each word gave the feeling of being filled with power. Magic started to roll off in waves from Harry's body. The runes of the magic circle glowed with a blue light and the blood that filled the "Soul" rune looked as if it was boiling. Suddenly, a crimson mist covered the entire magic circle like a dome.

An unearthly scream exploded from Voldemort's Horcrux, sending shivers all over Harry's back.

But as soon as the demonic scream burst, as abruptly it died down. A silence even more terrifying than the previous scream instilled and Harry felt his heart beating explosively inside his chest. Dealing with this kind of dark magic would send palpitations to anyone.

Previously, Harry had used to think that there was no dark nor light magic. He used to believe that magic was just magic, its allegiance changing depending on one's intent. However, he realized in that moment that some things could not be called anything but "Dark".

A haze seemed to fall over his mind after realizing that fact. His red wand fell from his hand and he stepped back, his entire body and shaking. A sense of disgust filled him and he felt as though his very soul was now stained by what he had just done.

His knees suddenly clashed on the hard marble floor. The crimson mist above the magic circle had long since disappeared and the ritual had ended. But Harry could only at the floor blankly, his entire being still overwhelmed by horror.

It was then, when he was beginning to fall in despair that two arms wrapped around him. A warm and loving aura washed over him making his entire body melt into the his most beloved person's embrace...

He knew who it was... There was no way he would not recognize her warmth. There was no way he would ever mistake her loving embrace for that of someone else. Tears started to flow down his cheeks and his arms wrapped around her Tightly, as though he was holding onto his lifeline when cried out:

"Mother!"

* * *

AN: I have posted the poll on my profile. The poll will be open for 1-2 weeks or until 500 unique votes are gathered. Make sure to let me know of your answer :)

Thank you all for having supported me along the line and for having helped me bring Gorgoneion till this point! Many thanks to **Shadowz101** in particular for having helped me with so many ideas, especially in the beginning. We actually reached over 2.7k replies in our PM conversation haha.


	52. Notice

**Just wanted to notice everyone that the first chapter of the sequel is up. Thank you :)**


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